‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬

www.alukah.net

_____________________________________________

WHO DESERVES
TO BE
WORSHIPPED?
_____________________________________________

Majed S. Al-Rassi
Edited by Ann Ronayne (Umm Abdullah)

Revised 2019

This book may be copied and distributed

for free as long as no changes are made.
www.saaid.net/The-clear-religion/017.pdf


 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

Who Deserves to be Worshipped?

An open call to seekers of truth from different faiths,

to encourage dialogue and understanding
in the spirit of tolerance and respect

This book focuses a light on:

❖ Islam’s basic principles and characteristics
❖ Eleven facts about Jesus (peace be upon him) and
his mother, Mary
❖ Proof that Islam remained a sound revelation


NO DOUBT THIS LIFE IS AN EXAMINATION
WHICH NEEDS YOUR FULL CONSIDERATION
AS TO WHAT YOU WILL TAKE TO
YOUR FINAL DESTINATION
ONLY TRUE BELIEF AND GOOD DEEDS ARE
YOUR WAY TO SALVATION

(Muhammad Sherif)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net


 CONTENTS

HONORIFIC PHRASES IN THIS BOOK............................................................ 7

ABOUT THE WORD ‘LORD’ .......................................................................... 8

ABOUT THE WORD ‘ALLAH’ ........................................................................ 9

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 11

1. PROOF OF ALLAH’S EXISTENCE .......................................................... 13

2. THE PURPOSE OF CREATION ............................................................. 15

3. MONOTHEISM: THE MESSAGE OF ALL THE PROPHETS ...................... 17

4. THE BASIC MESSAGE OF ISLAM ......................................................... 19

5. PROOFS THAT ONLY ALLAH DESERVES TO BE WORSHIPPED .............. 20

6. THE MESSAGE OF FALSE RELIGIONS .................................................. 26

7. ALLAH AND HIS CREATION ................................................................ 29

8. THE MEANING OF THE RELIGION’S NAME: ‘ISLAM’ ........................... 33

9. THE SIX ARTICLES OF ISLAMIC FAITH ................................................. 35

9.1 Belief in Allah ................................................................................ 35
9.2 Belief in the angels ........................................................................ 36
9.3 Belief in the scriptures ................................................................... 37
Distortion of the Old Testament ........................................................... 40
Biblical proofs of the Bible’s distortion ................................................. 44
Who distorted the Bible (Old and New Testaments)? .......................... 45
Distorting revelations is the biggest sin ................................................ 47
An important note ................................................................................ 48
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

2 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Revelation of the Quran........................................................................ 48

The entire Quran is a proclamation of monotheism ............................ 50
The Prophet’s teachings ....................................................................... 51
Preservation of Islamic teachings ......................................................... 51
9.4 Belief in the messengers of Allah .................................................. 52
Obedience to the Prophet (bpuh) ......................................................... 56
Loving the Prophet (bpuh) .................................................................... 56
9.5 Belief in the Last Day ..................................................................... 59
9.6 Belief in predestination ................................................................. 60

10. THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM ........................................................... 61

10.1 The declaration of the two testimonies of faith ............................ 61
10.2 Prayers .......................................................................................... 62
10.3 Zakah (obligatory charity) ............................................................. 62
10.4 Fasting the month of Ramadan .................................................... 63
10.5 Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) ......................................................... 64

11. THE MEANING OF WORSHIP IN ISLAM .......................................... 65

12. THE MORAL SYSTEM IN ISLAM ...................................................... 66

12.1 Relationship with the Lord ............................................................ 66
12.2 Relationships with people in general ............................................ 66
12.3 Relationships with parents ............................................................ 67
12.4 Relationships with other relatives ................................................. 68
12.5 Relationships with neighbours ...................................................... 69
12.6 Food — moral conduct .................................................................. 69
12.7 Hygiene — Islamic moral conduct................................................. 70
12.8 Spiritual — Islamic moral conduct ................................................ 70
12.9 Family structure and rights ........................................................... 71
12.10 Decency and veiling .................................................................. 72


 Contents 3

12.11 The rights of the wife ................................................................ 72

12.12 Polygyny .................................................................................... 73
12.13 Divorce rules.............................................................................. 73
12.14 Protection of life ........................................................................ 74
12.15 Protection of property ............................................................... 74
12.16 Animal rights ............................................................................. 74
12.17 Maintaining health ................................................................... 75
12.18 Rights of the deceased .............................................................. 77

13. ISLAM AND OTHER RELIGIONS ...................................................... 78

14. ELEVEN FACTS ABOUT JESUS (PBUH) AND HIS MOTHER (MARY) IN
ISLAMIC TEACHINGS ................................................................................. 79
14.1 The status of Jesus (pbuh) in Islam ............................................... 79
14.2 The beginning of Jesus’ lineage ..................................................... 80
14.3 The status of Mary ........................................................................ 81
14.4 The news about Jesus (pbuh) ........................................................ 82
14.5 The birth of Jesus (pbuh) ............................................................... 82
14.6 Subsequent miracles of Jesus (pbuh) ............................................ 83
An important note ................................................................................ 86
14.7 Human qualities of Jesus (pbuh) ................................................... 86
14.8 The prophethood of Jesus (pbuh) .................................................. 88
14.9 The mission of Jesus (pbuh)........................................................... 88
14.10 The ascension of Jesus (pbuh) ................................................... 90
14.11 The second coming of Jesus (pbuh) ........................................... 90
Conclusion ................................................................................................. 92

15. THE AMAZING PROPHECIES OF MUHAMMAD (BPUH) IN THE BIBLE:

TWENTY-EIGHT PROOFS FROM THE BIBLE OF MUHAMMAD’S
PROPHETHOOD ........................................................................................ 93
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

4 Who deserves to be worshipped?

The main attributes of Prophet Muhammad’s profile in the Bible ........... 94

15.1 His name ................................................................................... 95
15.2 His characteristics ..................................................................... 95
15.3 The location from which he was to emerge ........................... 113
15.4 The message to be revealed through him .............................. 114
15.5 Fulfilment of prophecies which he foretold ........................... 117
15.6 The time when he was to appear ........................................... 119
15.7 The unique proof .................................................................... 122
15.8 The lack of warnings from previous prophets ........................ 122
15.9 The consistency between Muhammad’s and Jesus’ teachings122

16. THE FACTS ABOUT ORIGINAL SIN ................................................ 125

Background ............................................................................................. 125
Analysis ................................................................................................... 126
Original sin and atonement from an Islamic perspective ....................... 134
Conclusion ............................................................................................... 136

17. ISLAM’S REVIVAL OF THE BASIC TEACHINGS OF JESUS .............. 137

Introduction ............................................................................................ 137
17.1 Revival of the creed of Allah’s Oneness of essence ..................... 137
17.2 Revival of Allah’s supremacy in terms of His attributes and
qualities................................................................................................... 141
17.3 Revival of the doctrine of monotheism (worship of Allah alone) 142
17.4 Revival of the creed of Jesus’ prophethood ................................. 145
17.5 Revival of the doctrine of Jesus’ humanness ............................... 146
Important notes .................................................................................. 151
17.6 Revival of the doctrine of Jesus’ ascension (negating the
crucifixion) .............................................................................................. 151
17.7 Revival of the prohibition of augury ............................................ 153
17.8 Revival of the prohibition of witchcraft....................................... 154
17.9 Revival of the prohibition of taking interest .................................. 154


 Contents 5

17.10 Revival of the prohibition of consuming pork ......................... 156

17.11 Revival of the prohibition of consuming blood ....................... 157
17.12 Revival of the prohibition of adultery...................................... 157
17.13 Revival of ablution before prayer ............................................ 159
17.14 Revival of performing prayers physically ................................ 159
17.15 Revival of compulsory charity (zakah) .................................... 161
17.16 Revival of fasting ..................................................................... 162
17.17 Revival of greeting with the supplication of peace ................. 163
17.18 Revival of veiling (hijab) for women ........................................ 164
17.19 Revival of polygyny ................................................................. 165
17.20 Revival of male circumcision ................................................... 166
Conclusion ............................................................................................... 168

18. FEATURES OF ISLAMIC TEACHINGS .............................................. 169

18.1 Rationality ................................................................................... 169
18.2 Perfection .................................................................................... 169
18.3 Clarity .......................................................................................... 170
18.4 Scientific validity and accuracy ................................................... 170
18.5 Prophetic fulfilment .................................................................... 171
18.6 Moderation ................................................................................. 171
18.7 Comprehensiveness ..................................................................... 171
18.8 Uniqueness .................................................................................. 171
18.9 Justice.......................................................................................... 172

19. ISLAM, THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION ............................................... 173

20. WHY ISLAM? ............................................................................... 174

21. A FINAL CALL TO REASON ............................................................ 177

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

6 Who deserves to be worshipped?

22. THIS IS IT ..................................................................................... 178

23. A WHISPER .................................................................................. 180

24. WHAT IS MOTIVATING PEOPLE TO TURN TO ISLAM? .................. 183

25. THE ISLAMIC STANCE ON TERRORISM ......................................... 186

26. HOW TO BECOME A MUSLIM ...................................................... 188

27. BEST DECISION THEY EVER MADE .................................................. 193

Other Muslims who were formerly Christians ......................................... 201

28. TO SUM IT UP… ........................................................................... 203

29. CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 204

REMEMBER THIS ..................................................................................... 209

BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................... 211

APPENDIX ............................................................................................... 213

GLOSSARY OF ISLAMIC TERMS ................................................................ 214


HONORIFIC PHRASES IN THIS BOOK

(the Exalted): used after the mention of God/Allah to express:

Glorified and Exalted is He

(bpuh): Blessings and peace be upon him; used after mention of the
Prophet Muhammad

(pbuh): Peace be upon him; used after mention of any prophet or after
mention of Angel Gabriel

(May Allah be pleased with him): used after mention of a male

Companion of the Prophet

(May Allah be pleased with her): used after mention of a

female Companion of the Prophet

(May Allah be pleased with all of them): used after mention of three
or more Companions of the Prophet
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

ABOUT THE WORD ‘LORD’

Themeaning
word lord in English has several related meanings. The original
is ‘master’ or ‘ruler’, and in this sense it is often used to
refer to human beings: ‘the lord of the mansion’ or ‘Lord So-and-So’
(in the United Kingdom, for example). The word Lord with a capital L
is used in the lexicon of Islam to refer to the One and Only God—
Allah. In Islam, there is no ambiguity about the meaning of this word.
While it is true that one may occasionally use the word lord (whether
capitalized or not) to refer to a human being, in Islamic discourse the
reference of this term is always clear from the context. Whereas for
Christians, Hindus and other polytheists, the word Lord with a capital
L may refer to Allah, to Jesus or to some imagined deity, for Muslims,
there can be no plurality of meaning. Allah alone is the Lord, and the
Lord is Allah—not Jesus, not Rama, not any other being.


ABOUT THE WORD ‘ALLAH’

Although the English word ‘God’ has often been used

interchangeably in this book with the word Allah, there is a
difference. ‘Allah’ is the word in Arabic that is translated as ‘God’.
However, ‘Allah’ has a much more precise meaning than ‘God’.
‘Allah’ is not merely an Arabic term for the word ‘god’. Instead, the
root word of the word ‘Allah’ is ilah, which means ‘a god’. There are
countless numbers of made-up ‘gods’, but only One True God worthy
of worship, Whose name is Allah. The word ‘Allah’ literally means
‘the worshipped’, or ‘the God’. Allah is, thus, the proper name for the
only Being that is worthy of worship in truth, the True Creator of the
universe. By saying ‘Allah’, Muslims are, in essence, negating every
other entity which people wrongfully worship, while affirming
worship to Him alone. The name ‘Allah’ is how God Almighty has
referred to Himself in the Quran, and how Prophet Muhammad
(blessings and peace be upon him) also referred to Him. Therefore, in
this work, the term ‘Allah’ will often be used in reference to this One
and Only God Who is worthy of worship.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net


INTRODUCTION

E very individual is born into a religious environment that is not

necessarily in accordance with his or her choice; children are
raised to follow the religion or ideology of their family, society, or
culture. Even as new-born babies, they are assigned either the religion
of their family or the ideology of the state; in some countries, the
child’s assigned religion is even recorded on the birth certificate. By
the time individuals reach their teens, they have usually accepted the
beliefs of their parents or their particular society. Since these beliefs
have come to feel normal to them, they may give no thought to
examining and possibly changing them.
However, individuals often encounter, or are exposed to, various
beliefs and ideologies throughout the course of their lives, leading
many to question long-held beliefs, traditions, or philosophical ideas.
They begin to question the validity of their own beliefs. Seekers of
truth often reach a point of confusion, especially upon realizing that
the believers of every religion, sect, ideology, and philosophy claim to
profess the one and only truth.
There are only three possibilities: 1) everyone is correct, 2)
everyone is incorrect, or 3) only one is correct and the rest are
incorrect. It is impossible for all of them to be upon the true religion
because the fundamentals of all religions are different. On the other
hand, to claim that they are all incorrect is to deny that Allah (the
Exalted) revealed His will to humankind. This proposition will seem
absurd to those who believe in a wise Creator. After all, why would
Allah create human beings and not reveal a way to the truth? So
which religion is the right one, and how can the seeker of truth
come to know it? This is the main subject of this work.
When beginning the search for the true religion, one should keep in
mind the following four things:
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

12 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Firstly, Allah has given us the ability and the intellect to discover
the answer to this crucial question, which is also a life-changing
decision: What is the true religion?
Secondly, Allah, the Most Compassionate, has not left us to go
astray without any guidance. Indeed, He sent us prophets with
scriptures to show us the right path.
Thirdly, we should always remember the underlying reason for this
search: the everlasting life to come depends upon adopting the true
religion in this life. This should be our ultimate motivation and a
driving force to keep us searching until we are completely satisfied.1
Fourthly, we can only determine the true path and make a rational
and correct decision if we willingly put aside all the emotions and
prejudices which often blind us to reality.

Kind regards,
Majed S. Al-Rassi
Phone: 966 50 5906761
e-mail: [email protected]

1 The Bible, in its present form, confirms that seeking the truth is the main
cause for salvation. In John 8:32, it has been stated, “and you will know
the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Muslims believe that the
existing versions of the Bible contain elements of the original true
message, although it has been altered significantly over time.


1. PROOF OF ALLAH’S EXISTENCE

Thischance,
great universe and everything in it cannot be the product of
and it could not have created itself. Signs testifying that
Allah is the only Creator can be seen throughout the universe and in
the very soul of each person. Allah has said in the Quran:2

{It is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth and sent down rain
from the sky and produced thereby some fruits as provision for you
and subjected for you the ships to sail through the sea by His
command and subjected for you the rivers. And He subjected for you
the sun and moon, continuous [in orbit], and subjected for you the
night and the day. And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And
if you should count the favours of Allah, you could not enumerate
them...} (Quran 14: 32-34)3

In the Quran, Allah has mentioned how Prophet Abraham tried to

show his people the futility of worshipping the creation instead of the
Creator. This is an example of how those who follow Allah’s signs
will be rightly guided to the worship of Him alone.

{And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the
earth that he would be among the certain [in faith]. So when the night
covered him [with darkness], he saw a star. He said: This is my lord.
But when it set, he said: I like not those that disappear. And when he
saw the moon rising, he said: This is my lord. But when it set, he said:

2 The Quran is the sacred book or scripture revealed to Prophet

Muhammad (bpuh). More information about the Quran is given in
Chapter 9: The Six Articles of Islamic Faith.
3 The translations of the meanings of the Quranic verses in this book have
been taken from Saheeh International, The Quran: Arabic Text with
Corresponding English Meanings. Please note that any quotation in this
book from the Quran is the translation that we feel has the closest
meaning to its original Arabic. The translation is not the Quran itself.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

14 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among the people gone
astray. And when he saw the sun rising, he said: This is my lord; this
is greater. But when it set, he said: O my people, indeed I am free
from what you associate with Allah. Indeed, I have turned my face
toward He Who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward
truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah.}
(Quran 6: 75-79)

The strongest proof for Allah’s existence is the creation itself.

According to the laws of nature as we know them, something cannot
be created from nothing; therefore, our natural world must have
originated from the supernatural. Allah continuously instructs
humankind to observe the universe, as this will affirm the divine truth
of His existence and His greatness, along with the fact that He alone
should be worshipped.
Another obvious fact: He answers our prayers. When an
individual prays (supplicates) to Allah, He answers his or her prayer;
this is an indication of Allah’s existence. Allah has said in the Quran:

{And your Lord says: Call upon Me; I will respond to you…}
(Quran 40: 60)


2. THE PURPOSE OF CREATION

Have you ever wondered why we exist? What is the reason for our
existence? Have you ever wondered why we die and where we go
after death? What will happen to us in the end? Have you ever asked
yourself why Allah has made the earth, and all that is in it, subservient
to human beings? Why were the night and the day, and the sun and the
moon, created? What are we supposed to do during our lifetime? Were
we created just to eat, drink, and enjoy ourselves before we die? A
poet has summarized this timeless question:
I do not know whence I have come.
I saw my feet walking on the road.
As they please, I go and stop.
What am I doing here?
How did the road find me?
I do not know! I do not know! I do not know!
Allah has emphasized in many verses of the Quran that He did not
create human beings without a purpose. He has said:

{Then did you think that We created you uselessly and that to Us you
would not be returned?} (Quran 23: 115)

{Does humankind think that it will be left neglected?} (Quran 75: 36)

{Do the people think that they will be left to say: We believe—and
they will not be tried?} (Quran 29: 2)

It is clear from these verses that human beings were not created
without a purpose. This purpose has been mentioned clearly in another
verse that says:
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

16 Who deserves to be worshipped?

{And I did not create the jinn4 and humankind except to worship Me.}
(Quran 51: 56)

Hence, the main purpose of creation is to worship the Creator

alone. This is called monotheism.
Islam sets out for human beings a vision which is strikingly simple
yet completely logical. Indeed, why would the Creator of the universe
shroud in mystery the main message that He wants humankind to
understand—their one key to winning paradise in the hereafter? How
then would He expect humankind to arrive at the truth? It is clear that
human beings must revert to their basic instinct regarding the Creator
of the universe; they must shed the layers of indoctrinated ideologies
and man-made teachings that cover that instinct. Humankind must
reclaim its birthright; it must reclaim Islam.

4 jinn: non-human, rational beings created by Allah from fire.

Note: Wherever possible, Arabic terms have been translated into
English. In cases where we have chosen to retain the Arabic, the
transliterated word or phrase is shown in italics the first time it appears
in the text; the term is also defined in the glossary found at the end of
this book.


3. MONOTHEISM: THE MESSAGE OF
ALL THE PROPHETS

All(monotheism)
the prophets instructed their people to worship Allah alone
and to shun worshipping His creation (paganism).
Allah has said:

{And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger [saying]:

Worship Allah and avoid taghoot...}5 (Quran 16: 36)

Prophet Abraham (pbuh),6 for example, believed in One God

(Allah), Who has no partner. The Quran has explained:
{And [We sent] Abraham, when he said to his people: Worship Allah
and fear Him. That is best for you, if you should know.}
(Quran 29: 16)

Allah has also said about him:

{And [mention, O Muhammad] when Abraham said to his father and
his people: Indeed, I am disassociated from that which you worship,
except for He Who created me; and indeed, He will guide me.}
(Quran 43: 26-27)

Although the Bible has been altered a great deal, Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) was reported in the Gospels to have said, “You shall worship
the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” (Luke 4:8)7

5 taghoot: idols; anything that is worshipped other than Allah.

6 This is an expression of respect which Prophet Muhammad (bpuh)
recommended that we say each time a prophet is mentioned.
7 The translations of Bible verses are taken from the English Standard
Version (ESV). In a few cases, there was a need to discuss specific
wording found in the King James Version instead; this is indicated by
(KJV).
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

18 Who deserves to be worshipped?

It also mentions that God has said, “I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6)
According to the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus (pbuh) was asked
what the most important command was, he replied that it was, “The
Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Mark 12:29)
The Book of Acts 3:13 says, “The God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his
servant Jesus...”8
The Quran tells us that Prophet Joseph (pbuh) said to his people:

{You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named
them, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no
authority. Legislation is not but for Allah. He has commanded that
you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of
the people do not know.} (Quran 12: 40)

This is why Allah, the Exalted, has described those who deviate
from Abraham’s message (of monotheism) as the ones who are
fooling themselves. He has said:

{And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one

who makes a fool of himself...?} (Quran 2: 130)

8 The use of the word ‘servant’ does not imply that God (Allah) needs
assistance or help. A servant here equates to a slave who devotes himself
or herself to worship by obeying Allah’s commands and shunning what
He forbids. See Chapter 11: The Meaning of Worship in Islam.


4. THE BASIC MESSAGE OF ISLAM

Theprevious
basic message of Islam is the same as the message of all the
prophets: worship Allah alone and avoid worshipping
anything besides Him, whether it is a person, place or thing—directly
or indirectly, secretly or openly. This basic principle of monotheism is
contained in the fifth verse of the first chapter of the Quran, known as
‘The Opening’:

{It is You we worship and You we ask for help.} (Quran 1: 5)

Allah has also said:

{Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him…} (Quran 4: 36)

{…So whoever disbelieves in taghoot and believes in Allah has

grasped the most trustworthy handhold, with no break in it…}
(Quran 2: 256)

Muhammad (bpuh), the last prophet, is reported to have said:

«Anyone who says, “There is no deity worthy of worship except
Allah” and dies holding that belief will be granted paradise.»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)9

9 Saheeh al-Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim are two collections of the

authentic, documented traditions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad
(bpuh), as recorded by the scholars Bukhari and Muslim respectively.
Other collections have also been used as references in this book.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

5. PROOFS THAT ONLY ALLAH

DESERVES TO BE WORSHIPPED

Here is an obvious fact: Allah is the sole Creator and Sustainer of

. This makes Him the only one deserving of our
everything
worship. It’s really that simple. Supplication, for example, is an act of
worship, where individuals direct their hearts to Allah and specify to
Him their needs. Allah has instructed us to call upon Him:

{And your Lord says: Call upon Me; I will respond to you…}
(Quran 40: 60)

The question then arises: Why do people direct their worship to

created objects such as idols? The fact is that the idols have no power
of their own; anything that results from that act of worship only comes
about through the permission of Allah. When a person prays to an idol
and his or her prayers are answered, it is not the idol which actually
answers the prayers, but Allah. Similarly, prayers to Jesus Christ
(pbuh), Buddha, Krishna, Saint Christopher, Saint Jude or Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) are not answered by them; they are answered by
Allah. Consequently, prayers directed to anyone or anything other
than Allah are of no avail, and the same applies to all other acts of
worship, including charity and fasting. They must all be directed to
Allah alone.
The prophets were very explicit in their teachings that only Allah
should be worshipped, and they were sent to teach this very message.
They claimed neither fame nor status, and never once did they instruct
the people to direct acts of worship to themselves; on the contrary,
they warned their people against doing just that. For example, Islam
teaches that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was a human being who was created
by Allah in a miraculous way. He was born of a mother, Mary,
without a father. He himself was neither God (Allah) nor the son of


 Proofs that only Allah deserves to be worshipped 21

God, and he worshipped Allah. He was not one of three

manifestations of God, as Christians claim; nor was he the son of a
prostitute, as some Jews have alleged. He told his people (the tribes of
Israel) to worship Allah alone—not to worship either himself or his
mother. Furthermore, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) did not direct his acts of
worship to himself; he worshipped Allah alone.
Those who claim to be the followers of Jesus Christ actually do
something other than what he taught; they worship Jesus himself.
Some worship Mary, claiming that she is the mother of God. If Jesus
himself did not instruct them (anywhere in the Bible) to worship him
or his mother (much less a statue or picture of either of them, or a
cross), how can they do this very act and yet claim to follow his
message?
Allah has said in the Quran:

{They have certainly disbelieved who say: Allah is the Messiah, the
son of Mary—while the Messiah has said: O Children of Israel,
worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, he who associates
others with Allah—Allah has forbidden him paradise, and his abode is
the fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.}
(Quran 5: 72)

Allah has also warned in the Quran that He will question Prophet
Jesus (pbuh) on the Day of Judgement regarding the Christians’
worship of him and his mother:

{And [beware the day] when Allah will say: O Jesus, son of Mary, did
you say to the people: Take me and my mother as deities besides
Allah? He will say: Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to
which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You
know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within
Yourself. Indeed, it is You who are Knower of the unseen. I said not
to them except what You commanded me—to worship Allah, my
Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

22 Who deserves to be worshipped?

among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over
them, and You are, over all things, Witness.} (Quran 5: 116-117)

Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was given life; he was born from a woman’s
womb and was circumcised. He felt hunger, pain and weariness. Since
all these attributes are those of human beings and not of God (Allah),
it is clear that Jesus was not God (Allah).
Similarly, Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of
humanistic principles into the Hindu religion practiced in India. He
did not claim to be God, nor did he suggest to his followers that he
should be worshipped. Yet today, most Buddhists have made him
their God, and they prostrate themselves before idols representing his
likeness. Even in the supposedly monotheistic religions of Judaism
and Christianity, followers over the ages have elevated a select few
rabbis and church officials to the status of law-givers who proclaim
laws that are in direct contradiction to the laws brought by their
prophets. This is a form of worshipping the creation instead of the
Creator, Who tells us that:

{They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah…}
(Quran 9: 31)

Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) explained this verse to mean that by

unquestioningly obeying them in matters which they made lawful or
unlawful according to their desires, without any sanction from Allah,
they have given these rabbis and priests the status of deities. Briefly,
from the perspective of object-worship, all religions today (except
Islam) invite people to the worship of creation in one form or another!
It should be noted here that some non-Muslims incorrectly label
Islam as ‘Mohammedanism.’ This phenomenon exists because it is
tempting to elevate a beloved individual like Muhammad (bpuh) to a
status far above his teachings, as was done in other religions. This is
ironic since his very message was the negation of equating human
beings (any human beings) with Allah. Islam teaches that Muhammad


 Proofs that only Allah deserves to be worshipped 23

(bpuh) was a human messenger who, like all other human beings, was
required to worship Allah rather than be elevated to the status of Allah
and be worshipped himself. Muhammad was a messenger and a slave
of Allah;10 that is all.
Allah’s attributes prove that He alone deserves to be worshipped.
He is One, without relatives; He has no father, son, mother, or
wife. He is the Eternal Absolute. He neither gives birth nor was born;
indeed, there is nothing like Him. He is perfect in His knowledge, His
power, His will, His mercy, and all His other attributes. Allah is all-
powerful and perfect, while human beings are weak and imperfect.
That is how He has defined Himself and how all prophets have
defined Him.11 Therefore, it is only befitting that we direct all acts of
worship to the One Who fits this description. Worshipping anything
else is futile.
Another proof is the teaching of Islam that every soul has been
imbued with an awareness of Allah and with a natural inclination
towards worshipping Him alone. In the Quran, Allah has explained
that when He created Adam (pbuh), He caused all of Adam’s
descendants to come into existence; then He took a pledge from all of
them, saying:

10 The status of a ‘slave’ of Allah is the most beloved and honoured

position before Allah, and this status applies to all of His prophets and
true followers. For more details, see Chapter 11: The Meaning of
Worship in Islam.
11 This agrees with what is mentioned in the Gospel of Barnabas, Chapter
17, where Jesus said:
He alone hath no equal. He hath had no beginning, nor will he ever
have an end, but to everything hath He given a beginning, and to
everything shall He give an end. He hath no father nor mother; He
hath no sons nor brethren nor companions.
(The Gospel of Barnabas is not included in today’s Bible, but it is
available on the Internet.)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

24 Who deserves to be worshipped?

{…Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes, we have testified…}

(Quran 7: 172)

Allah has then explained why He had all of humankind bear

witness that He is their Creator and the only true God, the only one
worthy of worship:

{…[This]—lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: Indeed,

we were of this unaware.} (Quran 7: 172)

Allah has further elaborated on this point, saying:

{Or [lest] you say: It was only that our fathers associated [others in
worship] with Allah before, and we were but descendants after them.
Then would You destroy us for what the falsifiers have done?}
(Quran 7: 173)

Therefore, people who associate partners with Allah in worship

cannot claim on that day that they had no idea that Allah is the only
One Who deserves to be worshipped. (If an individual never received
any information about the right religion, though, he or she will be
given a chance to accept it on the Day of Judgment.)
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) reported that Allah has said:
«I created my slaves following the right religion, but the devils made
them go astray.» (Recorded by Muslim)
Also, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said:
«Each child is born in a state of Islam. Then his parents make him a
Jew, a Christian, or a Zoroastrian.»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)
Thus, Islam is the birthright of every human being, since every
child is born with a natural belief in the existence of Allah and an
inborn inclination towards worshipping Him alone. Just as children
submit to the physical laws which Allah has imposed on this physical
world, their souls submit naturally to the fact that Allah is the only


 Proofs that only Allah deserves to be worshipped 25

Lord and Creator. However, if their parents are following a different

path, the children are usually neither strong enough nor aware enough
to recognize the truth; even if they do, they cannot resist the will of
their parents. In such cases, the religion that the children ultimately
follow is in line with their customs and upbringing. However, Allah,
the Most Merciful and Compassionate, will not hold them to account
or punish them for following a false religion before they reach the age
of reason and unless they are exposed to the pure message of Islam.
To sum up, one can naturally, without the aid of other human
influences, come to the conclusion that only Allah deserves to be
worshipped. This conclusion is neither confusing nor elaborate; it can
be arrived at by even the most uneducated. What happens, though, is
that human influences often turn people away from this natural belief,
which is why it needs to be explained here.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

6. THE MESSAGE OF FALSE RELIGIONS

False religions,in ononethewayotheror hand,

(paganism)
all teach
the worship of creation
another. Some religions call indirectly
towards idolatry, while at the same time proclaiming Allah’s Oneness;
others openly invite people to worship other gods along with Allah,
instead of calling towards the worship of Allah alone (pure
monotheism). Idolatry is the greatest sin that a human being can
commit because it diverts worship from the Creator to His creation. It
necessarily implies elevating the creation to the status of Allah and
thus equating His creation with Him. This explains why idolatry is the
greatest sin a human being can commit. Anyone who dies in a state of
idolatry has sealed his or her fate in the hereafter.

{Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives
what is less than that for whom He wills…} (Quran 4: 48)12

Human beings should not worship anything or anyone other than

Allah. This is because it makes no sense to worship the creation,
which is weak in nature, and neglect the Creator Who controls this
creation and the whole universe! Not only is this act misdirected and
futile, but it is also a manifestation of ingratitude to the One Who has
created everything. Allah has said in the Quran:

{Do they associate with Him those who create nothing and they are
[themselves] created? And the false deities are unable to [give] them
help, nor can they help themselves. And if you [believers] invite them
to guidance, they will not follow you. It is all the same for you
whether you invite them or you are silent. Indeed, those you
[polytheists] call upon besides Allah are slaves like you. So call upon
them and let them respond to you, if you should be truthful. Do they

12 The same wording is also found in Quran 4: 116.


 The message of false religions 27

have feet by which they walk? Or do they have hands by which they
strike? Or do they have eyes by which they see? Or do they have ears
by which they hear...?} (Quran 7: 191-195)

Allah has also said:

{Say [O Muhammad]: Invoke those you claim [as deities] besides

Allah. They do not possess an atom’s weight in the heavens or on the
earth, and they do not have therein any partnership [with Him], nor is
there for Him from among them any assistant.}
(Quran 34: 22)

So if these entities {do not possess an atom’s weight in the heavens

or on the earth}, how can they help the one who worships them? Allah
has pointed out the simple fact that:

{...those you call upon besides Him are unable to help you, nor can
they help themselves.} (Quran 7: 197)

Some idol worshippers try to justify what they are doing by saying,
“We treat idols as mediators and intercessors between Allah and us.”
This belief is based on the false comparison between Allah and kings,
who often operate using mediators between them and their people.
This is an incorrect belief because Allah does not need mediators
between Him and His creation. Being All-Knowing and not limited by
natural boundaries, He hears and knows everything, and He can
respond directly to all the needs of His creation. In hundreds of
Quranic verses, Allah has invited all human beings to have a direct
relationship with Him without any mediator or intercessor; He has
prohibited them from worshipping anything other than Him under any
circumstances.
The use of different deities (represented by idols and statues) as
intermediaries and mere ‘channels’ began with the people of Prophet
Noah (pbuh). Earlier generations had built statues of pious
individuals, intending only to honour them, but their descendants
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

28 Who deserves to be worshipped?

began to take them as objects of worship. Allah sent Noah to call his
people back to monotheism, and then He continuously sent prophets
to call people to monotheism and forbid idolatry; nevertheless, this
phenomenon has existed to some extent ever since it was introduced.
At the time of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), there were many people
who said they believed in Allah as the Creator and the Sustainer but
who defended their use of idols as merely a means of drawing closer
to Allah or having their prayers answered. This practice is still
common; many people say that they believe in one God, yet they rely
upon statues, superstitions, and other symbols (or traditions) as a way
to worship and invoke God for their needs.
Allah, the Exalted, has specified that anyone who attributes deity
to another being in addition to Allah will be left with that other entity
on the Day of Judgement, calling on it for help. Individuals falsely
hope that these entities will somehow help them when needed. In
reality, this is of no avail because the entities will disassociate
themselves from the people on the Day of Judgement (when the
people are most in need of help).

{Those upon whom the word will have come into effect will say,
“Our Lord, these are the ones we led to error. We led them to error
just as we were in error. We declare our disassociation [from them]
to You. They did not used to worship us.”} (Quran 28: 63)

Allah, the Most Wise, has not prescribed any religious beliefs or
rites that would affect the direct relationship between Himself and
human beings, yet religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism, belief in
a human being as a saviour or an intermediary, and rites such as
baptism and confession have done just that.


7. ALLAH AND HIS CREATION

Islam emphasizes that Allah and His creation are distinct entities.
Allah is not part of His creation, nor does He intermix with it. His
creation is neither equal to Him in terms of His attributes nor a part of
Him. Indeed, Allah is the Most High; He is above all of His creation,
above the heavens, and above His Throne, as He has informed us
about Himself in the Quran and in the previous scriptures.
This might seem obvious, but people’s worship of creation instead
of the Creator is, to a large degree, based on ignorance or negligence
of this fact. The erroneous belief that the essence of Allah is
everywhere in His creation, or that He is a part of His creation, is used
to justify the worship of Allah’s creation. Philosophical idol
worshippers justify their idolatry by saying that they do not actually
worship the stone or the metal object; they only worship Allah, Who
becomes concentrated in it during their rituals of worship. They claim
that the stone idol is only a focal point for Allah’s essence and is not
Allah itself! Anyone who accepts the concept of Allah being present
in any way within His creation will be obliged to accept this argument
to justify idolatry.
Setting aside such motivations as financial gains or fame,
people’s claims to divinity have largely manifested based on
the mistaken belief that it is possible for Allah to be present in
humans. Taking this belief one step further, they claim that
Allah is more present in them than in others, and people
should therefore submit to them and worship them as Allah’s
incarnate or as Allah concentrated within their person.
Similarly, those who have asserted that others were gods have
found fertile ground among those who accept the false belief
of Allah’s presence in human beings.
As far as the doctrine of incarnation held by late Christians is
concerned, it was developed after Jesus’ departure. It was
incorporated into Christianity from paganism. In the
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

30 Who deserves to be worshipped?

mythology that preceded Christianity, it can be seen how

some heroes were considered to be gods.
The vast majority of Christians today pray to Jesus, claiming
that he is God (Allah). The philosophers among them claim
that they are not worshipping Jesus the man; they are only
worshipping God (Allah), who was manifest in Jesus the man.
This is also the rationale of pagans who bow down to worship
the idols. As mentioned before, when a pagan philosopher is
asked why he or she worships an idol which was made by
human hands, he or she replies that he or she is not really
worshipping the idol. Furthermore, he or she may claim that
the idol is only a focal point for the presence of Allah, and
thereby claim to worship Allah who is manifest in the idol,
and not the physical idol itself. There is little or no difference
between that explanation and the answer given by Christians
for worshipping Jesus. The origin of this deviation lies in the
false belief that Allah is present in His creation. Such a belief
(erroneously) justifies the worship of Allah’s creation.13
Islam has freed its followers from such superstitions by rejecting
the doctrine of the incarnation.14 The divinity of Jesus has been
rejected in the noble Quran in many verses. Let us take two of them:

{They have certainly disbelieved who say: Allah is the Messiah, the
son of Mary…} (Quran 5: 72)

{Say: He is Allah, [Who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He

neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.}
(Quran 112: 1-4)

13 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 69.

14 Incarnation: the belief that God came to Earth in human form and that
Jesus was both fully God and fully human. (Christian sects differ on
some of the details of this theology.)


 Allah and His creation 31

These two verses clearly specify that neither Jesus nor any other
prophet resembles Allah in an attribute or in essence, and hence,
nothing can be an incarnation of Him.
Consider the following. In the south-eastern region of the
Amazon jungle in Brazil, South America, a primitive tribe
erected a new hut to house their main idol Skwatoo,
representing the supreme God (Allah) of all creation. The
following day a young man entered the hut to pay homage to
his god. While he was prostrating to what he had been taught
was his creator and sustainer, a mangy, old and flea-ridden
dog slunk into the hut. The young man looked up just in time
to see the dog lift its hind leg and pass urine on the idol.
Outraged, the young man chased the dog out of the temple,
but when his rage died down, he realized that the idol could
not be the Lord of the Universe. He came to the conclusion
that God must be elsewhere. As strange as it may seem, the
dog urinating on the idol was a sign from God for that young
man that his idol did not deserve to be worshipped. This sign
contained the divine message that what he was worshipping
was false. It liberated him from following his tradition
unquestioningly, a tradition that proved to be erroneous. As a
result, this man was given a choice: either to seek the true
God or to continue in the error of his ways. This example
illustrates the fact that humans are capable at arriving at the
truth on their own, regardless of society, etc.15
Clearly, if one follows this story to its logical conclusion, it means
either that God does not have the attributes that He claims to have or
that God is no different from His own creation. Both conclusions
negate the idea of an All-Powerful God, so both must be false. Islam
teaches that God is too great and perfect to lower Himself to the level
of likeness to His creation or to mix with His creation.

15 Philips, The True Religion of God.

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

32 Who deserves to be worshipped?

To conclude, all false religions share one basic concept with regard
to God: that there is no clear distinction between God and His
creation. They may claim that all humans are God, that specific
individuals are God, that nature is God, that God is a figment of
people’s imagination, or that a person or other entity is a mediator
between people and God (as mentioned in the previous chapter). It
may be said that by equating human beings with God, false religions
invite humans to worship the creation instead of the Creator.


8. THE MEANING OF THE RELIGION’S
NAME: ‘ISLAM’

Further evidence that Islam is the true religion comes from the
meaning of the word ‘Islam’ itself. Basically, ‘Islam’ is an Arabic
word that denotes submission and obedience. As a religion, Islam has
two meanings, one general and one specific.
In general, the word ‘Islam’ refers to the religion that God revealed
to all the prophets: the worship of God alone (monotheism) and the
avoidance of paganism. This explains why, in the Quran, all prophets
have called themselves Muslims. All prophets taught the basic
message of Islam (monotheism); they differed only in the detailed
message of Islam (Sharia, or “canonical teachings”). Their sincere
followers were Muslims as well.16 Consequently, one should not
regard Islam as an innovation that was brought by Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh). Instead, it should be regarded as the original
message of Allah (in its fundamentals) to all the prophets throughout
history.
Specifically, the word ‘Islam’ refers to the religion that was
revealed to Prophet Muhammad (bpuh). No other religion was
specifically given its name by Allah.
Islam was not named after a person or a group of people; nor was
its name decided upon by later generations of humans. Indeed, the
name ‘Islam’ was given by Allah Himself, as is clearly mentioned in
many verses of the Quran, for example:

16 Jesus was reported to have said:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to
you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will
pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

34 Who deserves to be worshipped?

{Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam…} (Quran 3: 19)

On the other hand, Christianity was named (by its followers) after
Jesus Christ, and Judaism after the tribe of Judah. It is not mentioned
anywhere in the Bible that the religion of the followers of Prophets
Isaac and Moses (peace be upon them) and their descendants is called
Judaism, or that the religion of the followers of Christ17 is called
Christianity. In other words, the names ‘Judaism’ and ‘Christianity’
had no divine origin or approval. It was not until long after Jesus’
ascension18 that the name ‘Christianity’ was given to the religion of
those claiming to be his followers. The same applies to Buddhism,
which was named after Gautama Buddha; Confucianism, named after
Confucius; Hinduism, named after ‘Hind’ (the Persian word for
India); and so on.
Followers of Christianity and Buddhism are called ‘Christians’ and
‘Buddhists’ because they worship Christ and Buddha, respectively.
However, Muslims cannot be called ‘Muhammadans’ because
Muslims do not worship Muhammad (bpuh); they worship Allah and
submit to Him alone. In fact, this phenomenon of naming an ideology
after a person has become so common that many mistakenly label
Islam as ‘Mohammedanism’, although Muslims have never used, nor
do they accept, such a label.

17 Both the names ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ’ are derived from Hebrew words,
through Greek and Latin. Jesus is the English equivalent and Latin form
of the Greek ‘Iesous’, which in Hebrew is ‘Yeshua’. ‘Christos’ is a
Greek translation of the Hebrew ‘messiah’ and the Arabic masaha,
which means to rub, to massage, to anoint.
18 The Quran has mentioned that Jesus was neither killed nor crucified on a
cross; rather, Allah raised him to the heavens, and Jesus will come into
this world again before it ends. This has been discussed in detail in
Section 14.11: The second coming of Jesus (pbuh).


9. THE SIX ARTICLES OF ISLAMIC
FAITH

I9.1 Belief in Allah

slamic belief is based on six fundamental articles of faith.

This includes the following beliefs:

❖ Belief in Allah’s existence: The existence of humankind and the
entire universe is not a mere accident or the product of chance.
The universe, and everything in it, manifests and points to the
certainty of there being a Creator.
❖ Belief that Allah is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Owner of the
universe and its contents, the Provider of everything, the Giver of
life and the Causer of death.
❖ Belief that Allah is the only One Who has the right to be
worshipped.
❖ Allah has revealed, both in His final revelation, the Quran, and
through his Prophet’s teachings, ninety-nine names and numerous
attributes. They offer some insight into the absolutely unique,
wondrous and perfect nature of Allah. The most frequently used
name is Allah, which means ‘the Worshipped’. Some of those
attributes are: the Everlasting, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-
Hearing, All-Seeing, Self-Sufficient and Self-Sustaining. Allah
Almighty is above all comprehension, and He does not resemble
His creation, as He has said in the Quran:

{…There is nothing like unto Him…} (Quran 42: 11)

{Say: He is Allah, [Who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He

neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.}
(Quran 112: 1-4)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

36 Who deserves to be worshipped?

He is the most Rich, free of all needs. He has said in the Quran:

{And I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship
Me. I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to
feed Me. Indeed, it is Allah who is the [continual] Provider, the
firm possessor of strength.} (Quran 51: 56-58)

Allah’s ninety-nine names and attributes have all been mentioned

in the Quran and the statements of the Prophet (bpuh).

9.2 Belief in the angels

Angels are creatures created by Allah for specific functions. They are
normally invisible and have no free will; they do as Allah commands
them. They should not be worshipped. The angel Gabriel (pbuh) was
responsible for conveying the revelation to the prophets. Two angels
are assigned to every human being to record their good and evil deeds.
Another angel accompanies each human being, encouraging him or
her to do good deeds. Others blow the human spirit into the foetus
four months after conception, and still others take the human spirit at
the time of its death, by Allah’s permission. There are other angels
that have various responsibilities.19
There are two main points of difference between the Islamic and
Christian views of angels. In Islamic teachings, angels are noble and
free of sin, yet righteous Muslims hold a greater status in the eyes of
Allah. The angels were commanded to bow to Adam (pbuh) due to his
superior knowledge, and they all did as they were commanded.
Christians, on the other hand, believe that angels are of two kinds:
good/obedient and evil/disobedient. That is how they justify their

19 For more detail, see al-Uthaymeen, Explanation of the Three

Fundamental Principles of Islaam.


 The six articles of Islamic faith 37

belief that Satan is a ‘fallen angel’―an evil angel who disobeyed

God.
According to Islamic belief, both angels and human beings are
creatures of Allah, and both are obliged to worship Him. Angels have
no choice, though; they worship Allah and never disobey Him, so they
commit no sins. Thus, the second main point of difference between
the Christian and Islamic views of angels is that of free will. Whereas
angels have no free will, human beings do, so humans might choose to
obey Allah, to be sinful, or to follow some commandments while
disobeying others.

9.3 Belief in the scriptures

This article of faith refers to belief in all the scriptures as revealed in
their original form by Allah to His messengers. Revealed scriptures
form the enlightenment which the messengers received to show their
people the right path to Allah. All the revealed books call to the
worship of Allah alone, and they forbid the worship of anything in
place of, or in addition to, Him. They contain guidance for humankind
in all aspects of life. They define right and wrong, and they offer
human beings a complete system of beliefs and practices to govern all
their affairs. The Creator alone knows best what is beneficial for His
creation and what is not. Thus, the divine laws contained in those
scriptures command and prohibit various acts and substances in order
to protect the human spirit, human body, and human society from
harm. Human beings need to abide by Allah’s commandments, as
documented in His revealed books, in order to fulfil their potential by
living a righteous life.
The original texts of the revealed books do not differ from each
other in their main doctrinal principles. However, due to the
differences among nations in terms of time and place, there were some
differences in the practical teachings (laws) of the scriptures,
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

38 Who deserves to be worshipped?

according to the wisdom of Allah. Their basic message, however,

remains the same.
Muslims believe in the previous books as mentioned in the Quran:
the Scripture of Abraham (pbuh), the Torah of Moses (pbuh), the
Psalms of David (pbuh), and the Gospel of Jesus (pbuh). The
following verse from the noble Quran emphasizes the fact that belief
in all the previous scriptures sent by Allah is an integral part of the
Islamic belief system:

{Say [O believers]: We have believed in Allah and what has been

revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael
and Isaac and Jacob and the descendants and what was given to Moses
and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We
make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in
submission] to Him.} (Quran 2: 136)

Long before the coming of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), all of these

scriptures had been either lost or irrevocably corrupted by later
generations, over the centuries, with myths, superstitions, idolatry, and
irrational philosophical beliefs. The existing forms of those scriptures
contain contradictions and hence cannot be described as Allah’s
revelation.
The Bible, for example, is composed of many books written by
various authors. The scripture that was revealed to Jesus (pbuh) has
undergone so many changes that today we have the four well-known
Gospels instead of one Gospel.
These were written between 40 and 115 years after Jesus
(peace be upon him) had left and are based on documents that
have been lost. The Gospel according to Mark was the first
one written in Rome, at least 40 years after the disappearance
of Jesus (peace be upon him). The Gospel according to
Matthew was written in the Greek Language about 90 years
after Christ. The Gospel according to Luke was written in
Greece approximately 80 years after Christ. These three


 The six articles of Islamic faith 39

Gospels are called Synoptic because they originate from the

same lost document and they have a lot in common. The
Gospel according to John, on the other hand, has deep
differences with the Synoptic Gospels. It is in this Gospel of
John where the Divinity and pre-existence of Jesus (peace be
upon him) was mentioned, even though Jesus himself never
claimed this. This Gospel was written between the years 110
and 115 CE.20
Analysis of these Gospels reveals the following:
1. There exist no written documents dating from the period of
Jesus’ lifetime that record his sayings, actions, or lectures.
2. The Gospels were written 40-115 years after Jesus’
‘disappearance’ and were based on documents that have since
been lost. As a consequence, there was manipulation of the
content.
3. The historical record of the Gospels points to the fact that they
were written by people who never knew, saw, heard, or met
Jesus. (They are named as Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John,
although their actual identities are not known.) What they
narrated as the Gospels was actually based on what they heard
from the preceding generations. This points to the fact that the
original message revealed to Jesus, which was in his
possession, did not exist later (after his ascension). Otherwise,
there would be no need for people to write it.
4. The Gospels were written in Greek, whereas Jesus (pbuh)
spoke Aramaic; since they do not record his original speech,
they cannot be the words of Allah.
5. For at least 100 years after the Gospels were written, they did
not have any canonical authority. During this time, writers

20 Abdul Razak, Study Guide, Comparative Study — Islam and

Christianity.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

40 Who deserves to be worshipped?

from different sects changed them in order to suit their own

agendas.
6. The clearest evidence of biblical distortion is the revision of
the Bible to the extent that every edition is different from the
previous one.
7. There is a lack of authentication in documenting the original
text of the Bible.
8. The present Gospels, seen as a whole, are full of
contradictions.21
These factors have been brought up here in order to demonstrate
that the Gospel of Jesus (pbuh), meaning his original message that
was revealed by Allah, has not reached us in its original form. It can
be affirmed that the four Gospels included in today’s Bible cannot be
considered equivalent, or even similar, to the inspired message given
to Jesus (pbuh). Based on these historical facts, these four Gospels
should be treated as historical writings, like the other books in the
New Testament, not as the true scripture (word of Allah) that was
revealed to Jesus.22

Distortion of the Old Testament

Moving to the Old Testament texts, there are many verses that
describe the Lord with weak and negative attributes. Some of them are
even curses! This clearly indicates that the Old Testament cannot be
the word of God because the Lord would not undermine Himself in

21 Source for points 1-7: Caraballo, My Great Love for Jesus Led Me to
Islam, 14-15.
22 At one time, there were a number of Gospels, but only four are accepted
as part of today’s Bible. Some scholars believe that these were chosen
by the First Council of Nicaea, convened by the Roman Emperor
Constantine in 325 CE.


 The six articles of Islamic faith 41

the books He revealed to His people. The Lord is perfect, and hence
His book must be perfect and free from contradictions.
In the twelve passages cited below, a series of nine examples prove
conclusively to the sincere researcher that the current Old Testament
is not the true Old Testament, the revelation that was in Jesus’ hands.
It is the word of ‘men’, not the word of ‘God’, the Lord.23
1. Here it says that the Lord acted as if he had slept and drunk
wine! If this verse is true, then who controlled the universe
while He acted this way?
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man
shouting because of wine. (Psalm 78:65)
2. Here it says that the Lord will not hear. This is not an
appropriate characteristic for Allah.
Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not
hear? (Habakkuk 1:2)
3. Here it says that the Lord forgets.
How long, O Lord, Will you forget me forever?
(Psalm 13:1)
4. Here the Bible says that the Lord was not strong enough to
displace some people because their chariots were made of
iron.
And the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of
the hill country, but he could not drive out the
inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of
iron. (Judges 1:19)
5. Here it attributes more negative characteristics to the Lord.

23 The great researcher Ahmed Deedat had a book titled 50,000 Errors in
the Bible, which is available online.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

42 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Therefore will I lament and howl: I will go stripped and

naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and a
mourning like the ostriches. (Micah 1:8)
6. These two verses say that the Lord got tired after creating the
heavens and earth and then had to rest. This attribute fits the
human being, not the Lord, Who is the Most Strong.
…In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on
the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. (Exodus
31:17)
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he
had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his
work that he had done. (Genesis 2:2)
But the following verse contradicts the previous two verses:
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends
of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his
understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28)
7. Here it says that the Lord will sound the trumpet. Is this fit for
the Lord?
…The Lord God will sound the trumpet and will march
forth in the whirlwinds of the south. (Zechariah 9:14)
8. Here it implies that the Lord has failed and is hurt.
For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am slinging out the
inhabitants of the land at this time, and I will bring
distress on them, that they may feel it.” Woe is me
because of my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said,
“Truly this is an affliction, and I must bear it.” My tent is
destroyed, and all my cords are broken; my children have
gone from me, and they are not; there is no one to spread
my tent again and to set up my curtains. (Jeremiah 10:18-
20)


 The six articles of Islamic faith 43

9. Psalm 89:38-46 describes the Lord acting badly against Jesus!

38 But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full
of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls; you have laid his
strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him; he has become the
scorn of his neighbours.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have
made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword, and
you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease and cast his
throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth; you
have covered him with shame.
46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
10. Here is the cursing of a prophet (Balaam) in the Bible! Could
this be the word of God? Could it happen that God sends a
prophet and then rebukes him for his transgressions and then
accuses him of not being in his right mind?
but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless
donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the
prophet’s madness. (2 Peter 2:16)
11. Genesis 19:30-38 narrates a very wicked story about a prophet
(Lot). According to this, his daughters got him drunk and then
had sexual relations with him while he was unaware of it; they
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

44 Who deserves to be worshipped?

both bore children as a result. Even a very indecent person

would not do this.
12. Here is a Biblical curse for the Prophet Solomon:
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along
with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite,
Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations
concerning which the Lord had said to the people of
Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them,
neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away
your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in
love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300
concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For
when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart
after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the
Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For
Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the
Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the
Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight
of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David
his father had done. (1 Kings 11: 1-6)
There are hundreds of verses in the Bible which are against logic and
common sense.

Biblical proofs of the Bible’s distortion

The Old Testament itself clearly testifies that it was altered by
humans. God (Allah) is quoted as saying:
How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with
us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a
lie. (Jeremiah 8:8)


 The six articles of Islamic faith 45

Who distorted the Bible (Old and New Testaments)?

Dr Bilal Philips has explained:
About five years after the end of Jesus’ ministry, a young rabbi
by the name of Saul of Tarsus, who claimed to have seen Jesus in
a vision, began to change Jesus’ way. Paul (his Roman name) had
considerable respect for Roman philosophy and he spoke proudly
of his own Roman citizenship. His conviction was that non-Jews
who became Christians should not be burdened with the Torah in
any respect. The author of Acts 13:39 quotes Paul as saying: And
by him every one that believes is freed from everything which
you could not be freed by the Law of Moses. It was primarily
through the efforts of Paul that the Church began to take on its
non-Jewish character. Paul wrote most of the New Testament
letters (epistles), which the Church accepts as the official
doctrine and inspired Scripture. These letters do not preserve the
Gospel of Jesus or even represent it, instead, Paul transformed
the teachings of Christ into a Hellenic (Greco-Roman)
philosophy.24
Based on these facts, it can easily be concluded that the Bible in
its present form is no more than a collection of historical books
written by various writers over many years. The accounts of the life of
Jesus were written after his ascension, by men who never met him.
(They are named as Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, although their
actual identities are not known.) These are partial accounts, which
contradict each other and have no authentication. The current
version(s) of the Bible does not represent the original revelations and
cannot be described as the word of God (Allah).
Many Christians have found that when they do research to
discover the true teachings of God, the Bible cannot answer their

24
Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 52-53.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

46 Who deserves to be worshipped?

questions. Dr David Liepert is a Canadian physician who began

learning about Islam in order to convince Muslim co-workers that his
Christian beliefs represented the truth. As he combed through the
Bible, however, he was surprised to find that it did not contain the
evidence for his beliefs that he had assumed was there. After a great
deal of soul-searching, and extensive research into Islam, he realized
that it had the strongest evidence supporting it, and he embraced Islam
as the true religion. His story is described in his book Choosing Faith.
Although the original revelations were not preserved and have
been replaced with the current Bible (including the four Gospels
attributed to Luke, Matthew, John, and Mark), the Old and New
Testaments still contain some remnants of the original truth. The
Quran confirms these parts, because it confirms the truth and denies
all falsehood. Islamic teachings set out a criterion for either accepting
or rejecting passages from the Bible, as described in the following
verse:

{And We have revealed to you [O Muhammad] the book in truth,

confirming that which preceded it of the scripture and as a criterion
over it...} (Quran 5: 48)

This verse emphasizes two main aspects of the Quran:

1) The Quran confirms only those teachings or passages of the
previous scriptures whose meaning have remained intact.
2) The Quran is the final, complete, authoritative, and authentic
revelation from Allah. It is the final arbiter and the only
criterion to correct any inaccuracy or misinterpretation which
might have occurred in the transmission of scriptures
throughout the ages. It helps us to discover, expose, and
disclose human additions to, or interpolations of, previous
revelations. Indeed, one of the names of the Quran is al-
Furqan (the criterion which distinguishes between right and
wrong, truth and falsehood).


 The six articles of Islamic faith 47

It follows, therefore, that Muslims have no reason to reject the

essence of any passage in the Bible if such a passage is confirmed by
the Quran. For example, we read in the New Testament a reiteration of
one of the Ten Commandments:
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The
Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Mark 12:29)
Muslims who read this passage in the Bible can find no objection
to its essence. After all, the Quran confirms:

{Say: He is Allah, [Who is] One.} (Quran 112: 1)

{They have certainly disbelieved who say, “Allah is the Messiah, the
son of Mary,” while the Messiah has said, “O Children of Israel,
worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” Indeed, he who associates
others with Allah – Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge
is the fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.}
(Quran 5: 72)

If, however, Muslims read in the Bible (or in other previous

scriptures, for that matter) accusations of major moral sins levied
against great prophets, or doctrines which are totally negated in the
Quran, they can accept only the Quranic version as the original
unadulterated truth, revealed by Allah.

Distorting revelations is the biggest sin

The Quran has emphasized, in more than one verse, that distorting
Allah’s revelation is a severe sin.

{So woe to those who write the ‘scripture’ with their own hands, then
say: This is from Allah—in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe
to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what
they earn.} (Quran 2: 79)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

48 Who deserves to be worshipped?

An important note
It should be noted that those who followed the scriptures in their pure
and unadulterated forms, and then died before hearing the message of
Islam, are considered to be on the right religion; they will have
nothing to fear on the Day of Judgement.

Revelation of the Quran

Following the distortion of the previous scriptures, Allah, the Most
Compassionate, did not leave human beings to go astray without an
unadulterated reference. Indeed, He revealed the Quran as the final
revelation to humankind, and He promised to preserve it for all time.
It is the word of Allah, which He revealed to Prophet Muhammad
(bpuh) through the angel Gabriel (pbuh). It was revealed in parts
(fragments) of different lengths over a period of twenty-three years.
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) recited the revelation to his Companions,
who wrote it down during his lifetime on palm leaves, parchment,
animal bones (the shoulder-blades of camels made a good writing
surface), and flat stones. When he recited it to them, he indicated
precisely where each revealed section belonged within the body of the
complete revelation. In addition, the Quran was memorized by
hundreds of Prophet Muhammad’s Companions. One year after the
death of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) in 632 CE, the first caliph, Abu
Bakr (d. 634 CE, may Allah be pleased with him), instructed the
Prophet’s Companions to collect the whole Quran in one volume.
Later, the third caliph, Uthman (d. 656 CE, may Allah be pleased with
him), prepared several copies from the original text and sent them to
the major centres of the Islamic civilization. One of these
reproductions can still be found in Istanbul, Turkey.
From that time onwards, for more than 1400 years, the same
Quranic text has been in use, with the exact same wording, order, and
language (Arabic). Not a single word of its 114 chapters, 6200 verses,


 The six articles of Islamic faith 49

and approximately 80,000 words has been changed since it was

revealed.25 Indeed, Allah has promised to preserve it forever:

{Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its
guardian.} (Quran 15: 9)

Just ponder over the fact that the Quran, in its entirety, is
memorized by millions of people, regardless of age, sex, social class,
or ethnicity! It is the only book that has been thus preserved, not only
on the shelf but in the hearts of humankind.
The Quran supersedes all previous scriptures. Allah has said to
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) about it:

{And We have revealed to you [O Muhammad] the Book in truth,

confirming that which preceded it of the scripture and as a criterion
over it…} (Quran 5: 48)

An essential point to understand about the Quran is that it is a

miracle in terms of both its revelation and its content. Since the time
of its revelation, there have been those who denied the divine and
miraculous nature of the Quran, saying that Muhammad (bpuh) was
either taught by others or that he wrote it by himself! In order to
counteract this claim, Allah has presented a challenge to the whole of
humankind:

{And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our
slave [Muhammad], then produce a chapter the like thereof and call
upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful.}
(Quran 2: 23)

25 This refers to the original Arabic Quran. There are differences in its
translations because they are merely interpretations of its meaning by
different individuals.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

50 Who deserves to be worshipped?

This is one of the prophecies which the Quran accurately foretold,

for no one, from the time of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) until this day,
has been able to produce the like of one chapter or even one verse of
the Quran. As such, Muslims do not need any other scriptures to base
their faith on, either fully or partially. The Quran remains clear and
easily understood by anyone who has a good command of the Arabic
language, and even when the meanings of its words are translated into
any of the world’s other languages, all of its legal injunctions and
instructions are clear.

The entire Quran is a proclamation of monotheism

1. Some of the verses inform us about Allah: His names, attributes,
acts, and speech. Those verses indicate the Oneness of Allah with
respect to His most excellent names, essence, and perfect
attributes.
2. Other verses point to the necessity of worshipping Allah alone,
without any associate or partner, and of renouncing the worship of
anything other than Him. These verses indicate the focus of
worship and the necessity for people to single out their Lord in
their intentions, when requesting His help and when turning to
Him in repentance, for example.
3. The Quran also contains injunctions and prohibitions; doing
something that has been enjoined or refraining from what has
been prohibited is the fulfilment and perfection of the affirmation
of the Oneness of Allah.
4. The Quran includes stories and information about prophets and
other righteous people of true and sincere belief. It tells about
their immediate rewards in the life of this world as well as the
immense rewards reserved for them in the hereafter.
5. The Quran also contains stories about those who associate
partners with Allah. It describes their punishment in this life and


 The six articles of Islamic faith 51

the punishment they are promised in the hereafter. These are the
just deserts for those who deviate from the affirmation of Allah’s
Oneness.

The Prophet’s teachings

The teachings of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) are the second source of
Islamic knowledge, after the noble Quran. They explain and elaborate
on the Quranic verses. They also explain, in minute detail, the manner
of worship as performed by the Prophet (bpuh). The Prophet’s
statements provide further clarification and details as to how to fulfil
what Allah has ordered and refrain from what He has forbidden.
These teachings have been meticulously collected and reported by the
Prophet’s Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them).

Preservation of Islamic teachings

Preventing Islamic teachings from alteration does not stop at the
preservation of the Quranic text; it is also forbidden to introduce into
the Prophet’s guidance (by saying or writing) anything that is contrary
to its premise, values, or teachings.
The Prophet (bpuh) said:
«Whoever introduces into this matter (the Islamic teachings)
something that does not belong to it, shall find it rejected.» (Recorded
by Bukhari and Muslim)
«One of the Prophet’s Companions said: The Prophet (bpuh) gave us a
highly effective admonition, such that many of us were tearful and felt
our hearts shudder.
Someone said to him: O Messenger of Allah! This sounds like the
admonition of someone bidding his audience farewell. Please outline
for us what you recommend.
The Prophet (bpuh) said: I urge you to always remain conscious of
Allah (God-fearing), and to listen to and obey your leaders, even if the
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

52 Who deserves to be worshipped?

leader is an Abyssinian slave. Any of you who lives long will witness
much strife and conflict, so hold tight to my way and the way
followed by the Rightly-Guided Caliphs.26 Hold on to it and bite it
with your molars (do not let go of it), and steer away from any
innovation (in religious affairs and laws), for such innovations are
deviations (from the right path).» (An authentic hadith recorded by
Ibn Hibban, Abu Dawood, and Tirmidhi)27
Thus, in matters of religion, one is not permitted to change
fundamental principles of Islamic teachings. Whatever is contrary to
them is wrong and unacceptable. With this strict protection, Islam has
been kept as it was revealed, pure from myths and superstitions as
well as from changes that reflect the whims of people and leaders.

9.4 Belief in the messengers of Allah

Allah has conveyed His message through prophets and messengers,
individual human beings who were selected by Allah to be examples
of how the scriptures were to be understood and implemented.
Prophets demonstrated practically, for their followers, how they
should live in accordance with the law. The way of the prophets is the
only way to Allah, because it is the way prescribed by Allah Himself.
Without prophets, people would not know Allah, His attributes, or
how to worship Him.
The role of the prophets can be summarized as follows:
1. Receive the message from Allah.
2. Deliver this message to the people.

26 He meant specifically the four caliphs who came after him.

27 hadith: a statement or action of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) that was
remembered and recorded by his Companions and followers.


 The six articles of Islamic faith 53

3. Advise people to fear Allah and abide by His

commandments.
4. Advise people who have deviated, disobeyed Allah, or
worshipped anything or anyone other than Him, to repent and
to obey and worship Him only.
5. Inform people about the fundamental aspects of faith.
6. Teach detailed religious and moral tenets to their followers.
7. Be a model for their people, and lead them to eternal
paradise.
Allah, the Exalted, has sent a prophet or prophets to every nation;
their duty was to convey the message that He alone should be
worshipped and that worshipping anything instead of, or along with,
Him is false and unacceptable. The Quran and Hadith have mentioned
twenty-seven prophets (see Illustration 1), while indicating that many
others existed but were not mentioned by name. The first of these
prophets was Adam, and the last was Muhammad (bpuh). May
Allah’s mercy and peace be upon all the prophets.
Every prophet was sent to a specific people and a specific era. For
example, in the present day Bible, Jesus says, “I was sent only to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24)
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was an exception in that he was sent as
the last and final messenger until the hour of judgement. The proofs
that Muhammad (bpuh) was a messenger of Allah are innumerable,
and all have been mentioned in detailed biographical material about
his life. The greatest proof is the miracle of the Quran, which could
not have been written by any human and could not have been
conveyed by anyone other than a Messenger of Allah (bpuh).
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

54 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Indeed, the books of the Bible mention the coming of Prophet

Muhammad (bpuh), in spite of the changes which have been
introduced in their content.28
The Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) relate,
with reverence, the lives of many of these prophets. Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh), the last prophet, remains the absolute example for
his followers, and his teachings were further elucidated through the
practice of his Rightly-Guided successors. The Prophet (bpuh)
continuously encouraged his followers to follow his way, and he
warned against conflict over Islamic principles and values. This was
to ensure that his followers would not deviate from the right path, as
did the followers of previous prophets.
Prophet Muhammad’s followers owe him two things: obedience
and love.

28 This will be discussed in Chapter 15: The Amazing Prophecies of

Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible: Twenty-Eight Proofs from the Bible of
Muhammad’s Prophethood.


 The six articles of Islamic faith 55

Illustration 1: The prophets mentioned by name in

the Quran. Joshua is also listed here, although he was
named in the Hadith and not in the Quran.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

56 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Obedience to the Prophet (bpuh)

Obedience to the Prophet (bpuh) has been mentioned in thirty
different verses of the Quran. It implies following his commands and
avoiding what he prohibited. Obedience to the Prophet (bpuh)
indicates the true fulfilment of the second part of the declaration that
brings a person into Islam, “I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s
Messenger.”
When we examine what the Prophet (bpuh) encouraged, urged, or
ordered, we find that it is all from Allah and that it leads to something
good for us personally, for others who are close to us, for our families,
or for our wider community, whether it is the Muslim community in
general or humanity at large. He has only prohibited what is harmful
or of no benefit, such as adultery, gambling, drinking alcohol, lying,
being disrespectful to parents, and so on. In many statements, the
Prophet (bpuh) prohibited satanic ways such as these because these
tend to pull a person away from the right path.
Good believers reach a state of mind in which their desires and
pleasures in this life are in line with what Allah wants from them.
Every individual should be obedient to Allah and His Prophet (bpuh)
and should strictly observe the instructions from Allah. One’s faith
develops and grows through following Islamic teachings and
performing acts of worship, whereas it decays and suffers from a
spiritual loss if these teachings and acts of worship are abandoned.29

Loving the Prophet (bpuh)

Islam teaches that loving the Prophet is part of the Islamic faith. The
Prophet (bpuh) has been quoted as saying:

29 Compiled from Caraballo, My Great Love for Jesus Christ Led Me to

Islam.


 The six articles of Islamic faith 57

«None of you is a true believer unless I am dearer to him than his

parents, his children, and all other people.»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)
The Prophet (bpuh) also said:
«There are three qualities which are certain to give anyone the
sweetness of faith: to love Allah and His Messenger more than anyone
else, to love a person for no purpose other than for Allah’s sake, and
to hate to relapse into disbelief after Allah has saved him from it as
much as one would hate to be thrown into the fire.»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)
We are required to love Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) more than all
others (except Allah) because it was through him that we learned Who
Allah is, along with His attributes, our position in relation to Him,
what He wants from us, and how to worship Him. The Prophet (bpuh)
has guided us, through practical examples, along the way; following
him is certain to earn us Allah’s acceptance and the ultimate bliss. He
has spared us the worst calamity that can ever befall anyone, which is
incurring Allah’s anger and punishment. He sacrificed everything—
his health, his wealth, and his whole life—to deliver Allah’s message
to us. If we realize all this, how can we not love him more than we
love ourselves and all others?
We love Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) because he was, as described
in the Quran, a ‘mercy for all nations’. His compassion extended to
all, whether they were friends or enemies. Consider this: his enemies
often had a change of heart and became his beloved Companions and
followers. They embraced Islam, saying that his character proved he
was a true Messenger of Allah (bpuh).
It should be noted that we must love Allah more than we love the
Prophet (bpuh); the Prophet (bpuh) comes only after Allah. Loving
Allah, the Prophet (bpuh), and his followers is an act of worship for
which we will be rewarded. The reverse is also true: hating Allah or
His Prophet (bpuh) will expel us from the bounds of Islam.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

58 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Correspondingly, hating those who hate Allah or the Prophet (bpuh) is

part of Islamic belief, for which we will be accounted and rewarded.
It needs to be clarified here that the emotion of ‘hate’ that is
referred to in this context is not the commonly known, evil type of
hate which is an imperfect human emotion; rather, it is the type of
hate that perfects one’s faith when directed—in the right measure—
against those who take a defiant stance against the Creator and His
chosen messengers. It is a lot like the negative feeling one has
towards the actions of a person who defies and abuses his or her
elderly parents in an evil manner, or towards the efforts of an outlaw
who fights the justice system and spreads fear and corruption in
society. It is clear that hating the actions of such individuals is a
natural feeling that good people are expected to have. Although
Islam teaches love in all its forms, it also instructs faithful believers
not to love those who do not love Allah and His messengers, until
they change their ways—in which case, they are commanded to love
them! In a nutshell, a Muslim loves and hates for Allah’s sake. Here
is an important fact about this emotion of hate: a Muslim is
instructed not to hate anyone for personal reasons. If a Muslim is
insulted by anyone, he or she is encouraged to forgive; surely, there
is a great difference between hate for the sake of Allah (a well-
placed emotion) and hate for self-satisfaction (a destructive
emotion). Keep in mind that expressing our feelings of hate or
revulsion at the refusal of our fellow human beings to believe in
Allah’s Oneness and to follow the monotheistic teachings of His
prophets should be part of a positive and pro-active approach to
those who disbelieve. We pray for them to be guided to the truth; at
the same time, we need to work for that and work with them towards
that.
The love we should have for the Prophet (bpuh) must be genuine
love, not a mere verbal statement. It should be supported and proven


 The six articles of Islamic faith 59

by our obedience, by following his commands and avoiding what he

prohibited.

9.5 Belief in the Last Day

Islam teaches that this life is only a test of conduct for each of us, to
see whether or not we will follow the commands of Allah. In the
hereafter, we all will be resurrected to stand before Allah for a just
reckoning of the deeds and actions we performed during our life on
this earth. People with good deeds will be generously rewarded and
warmly welcomed to Allah’s heaven, but those whose records are
overwhelmed with bad deeds will be punished and cast into hell. We
have been given knowledge of right and wrong, instinctively and
through revelation; we must choose our own path in this short life.
Our choices in this life will ultimately determine our places in the
eternal life to come. Allah has said in the Quran:

{So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever
does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.} (Quran 99: 7-8)

Belief in the Day of Judgement causes the consciousness of Allah

to be implanted in the human heart. It impels individuals and society
at large to obey Him sincerely, without any external pressure.
In effect, the hereafter for any individual starts right after his or her
soul departs from the body. Shortly after the burial, two angels come
to the grave and ask the following three questions (as in a final
examination):
Who is your Lord?
What is your religion?
Who is your prophet?
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said that the believer (one who
believes in all six articles of faith) will not have any difficulty
answering these questions correctly, while the unbeliever will not be
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

60 Who deserves to be worshipped?

able to do so. Depending upon the result, the deceased will begin
either to suffer or to enjoy his or her stay in the grave, which will
either expand (to give comfort to) or contract (to torture) its occupant.
(As narrated in hadiths recorded by Bukhari and Ahmad)

9.6 Belief in predestination

This includes the following beliefs:
a) Allah knows everything. His knowledge is not bound by time; the
past, present, and future are all known to Him.
b) Everything that takes place is already written in a book called the
‘Preserved Tablet’.
c) Allah has created everything, including our actions, both good and
bad. He has commanded us to do good deeds, though, and has
forbidden us from doing evil; hence we will be rewarded or
punished based on our choice of good or bad actions.
d) Everything that happens in this universe is happening with Allah’s
permission, and nothing can take place against His will.
It should be noted that Allah’s prior knowledge is not the same as
control; it does not mean that we human beings have no free will. We
choose, but Allah knows in advance what choices we will make and
what actions we will take. He merely allows us to follow through with
our decisions.


10. THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

Worship in Islam is an all-inclusive term encompassing all of the

actions and statements that Allah loves and approves of. Every
virtuous action that is performed with the intention of carrying out His
commandments and seeking His pleasure is considered to be an act of
worship. Islam is built on five acts of worship that make up the
foundation on which all other deeds rest. These five pillars have a
high importance in Islam; learning and practicing them are priorities
for every Muslim, whereas everything else can be learned gradually,
with patience and dedication. These five pillars stand as the
framework of spiritual life, on which the structure of Islam rests:

10.1 The declaration of the two testimonies of faith

“I testify that there is no deity30 worthy of worship except Allah, and I
testify that Muhammad (bpuh) is His slave and messenger.”31 The
sincere declaration of this double testimony (also referred to as the
testimony of monotheism) and adherence to this teaching
automatically brings one into the fold of Islam, and dying while
believing it guarantees a place in paradise. That is why this testimony
is considered to be the cornerstone of Islam. The acceptance of this
belief distinguishes the Muslim from the non-Muslim, so all actions
depend upon this pillar; good deeds (no matter how great) are of no
avail to anyone who does not utter this testimony. On the other hand,
there are many actions that contradict this declaration, automatically
taking one outside the fold of Islam. The most serious of those acts is
worshipping other than Allah, whether through supplication, prayer,

30 deity: an object of worship.

31 In Arabic: Ash-hadu al-la ilâha illa Allah, wa ash-hadu anna
Muhammadan Abduhu wa Rasooluhu.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

62 Who deserves to be worshipped?

or any other act that signifies worship or belief in an entity other than
Allah.

10.2 Prayers
Formal prayers are prescribed five times daily as a duty to Allah, the
Exalted, at the following times: dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and
nightfall. Prayer provides people with regular contact with Allah,
which helps them avoid evil. This act of worship compels the
believers to remember their Lord night and day, no matter where they
are. These prayers take place continuously, so that at any given
moment, people are praying somewhere in the world. Muslim males
are enjoined to pray in congregation in a mosque, while females are
encouraged to pray in their homes, but a Muslim may offer formal
prayers almost anywhere as long as the location is clean. Furthermore,
it is symbolic of equality among the poor and the rich, the ruler and
the subjects, the dark-skinned and the fair-skinned. Human beings
from every conceivable background stand together shoulder to
shoulder, united in rows, prostrating themselves before Allah. Prayer
strengthens the belief in Allah and elevates people to a higher
morality. It helps to purify the heart and to prevent them from giving
in to temptation to engage in wrongdoing and evil.

10.3 Zakah (obligatory charity)

Every Muslim whose net annual savings are above a certain specified
minimum must pay 2.5% of those savings annually to the poor or
needy people in the community.32 Zakah fosters generosity and helps
purify the soul of selfishness and greed. Zakah also helps reduce
resentment and envy between the poor and the rich members of the

32 There are also different amounts due for livestock, crops, inventory, etc.;
the details are beyond the scope of this book.


 The five pillars of Islam 63

society. Islam is a practical religion. Not only does it safeguard the

average individual and his or her rights, but it protects the rights of the
weaker members of the community as well.

10.4 Fasting the month of Ramadan

In Islam, fasting means abstinence from food, drink, and marital
relations from dawn to sunset. It is an annual obligation during the
month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
Fasting was imposed on former communities of believers in earlier
divine religions. The Quran states that the main purpose of fasting is
to help us be more conscious of Allah and more obedient to Him. It
teaches sincerity and engenders devotion. It helps us develop a sense
of social conscience, patience, self-restraint, willpower, and
compassion for needy members of the society.
Someone might ask: Why has Allah, in His wisdom, prescribed
fasting for many nations?
The answer is that the purpose of fasting is clearly defined as being
for the development of Allah-consciousness (piety) in the believer’s
heart, since only Allah knows who is actually fasting and who is not.
Consequently, the one who is fasting refrains from eating and drinking
based on an awareness of Allah. Regular fasting enhances that
awareness, which subsequently leads to the implanting of
righteousness in the heart of the individual.
As a secondary benefit, fasting is very good for one’s health. It
purifies the body of toxins; it is a rest from the useless waste cluttering
the body. It allows the body to recuperate and heal. It trains the body,
as well as the mind, to function with an amount of food that is
sufficient. Also, the needs of basic instincts of survival are kept in
check, and when the individual is able to control these, other needs are
easier to control. In return for this sacrifice, Allah grants the believers
great rewards and forgives their sins.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

64 Who deserves to be worshipped?

10.5 Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)

The Hajj is obligatory for every Muslim once in a lifetime, if one can
afford it financially and bear it physically. During the Hajj, Muslims
from all corners of the world meet in an international congregation
dedicated to the worship of Allah. The Hajj lasts for days (not
including travel to and from Makkah), during which several million
pilgrims perform certain rites in specific places at specific times; as
such, it is a great lesson in patience but also brings magnificent
spiritual rewards. The huge gatherings for the Hajj are a reminder of
the Day of Judgement, when all of humankind will gather for their
reckoning. It emphasizes the belief that all Muslims are brothers and
sisters, irrespective of their geographical, cultural, racial or social
origins.


11. THE MEANING OF WORSHIP IN
ISLAM

Theobedience
meaning of worship is, simply, total submission and complete
to Allah’s commandments in belief, intentions,
statements, and actions. This is achieved by striving to do what Allah
has encouraged, avoiding what He has forbidden, and worshipping
Him alone, according to His teachings. This is the true meaning of
worship of Allah or ‘slavery to Allah’ in Islam, and this state applies
to all of the messengers and true followers of Allah. May He enable
all of us to achieve this level of worship.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

12. THE MORAL SYSTEM IN ISLAM

Islam has unique moral teachings that call for strengthening the
relationship between humans and their Lord, as well as among one
another. They also call for us to correct and improve ourselves, both
inwardly and outwardly.

12.1 Relationship with the Lord

In the Quran, Allah calls us to correct and strengthen our relationship
with Him and to draw close to Him through spiritual and physical acts
of worship such as prayer, Hajj, supplication, and charity. In addition,
the Quran calls us to seek knowledge about Allah through His names
and attributes. This instils fear and awe of the Lord in our hearts and
establishes discipline in applying Allah’s commands and prohibitions.
The Prophet (bpuh) also instructed us to remember Allah at all
times and in every situation. This creates a permanent connection
between our Lord and us, and it instils stability, strength and
tranquillity in our hearts. It is one means of protecting against evil and
vice, since Muslims will be reminded constantly that Allah is
watching our every action. The Prophet (bpuh), for example, taught
specific invocations to be uttered when going to sleep; before entering
the lavatory; before sexual intercourse; while travelling; when in a
state of fear; upon entering or leaving one’s house; the first thing in
the morning and in the afternoon; when afflicted by distress, anxiety,
or misfortune; when burdened by debt or poverty; upon entering a
graveyard; when stopping for a rest or setting up camp; and in many
other situations.

12.2 Relationships with people in general

The Quran promotes behaviour that strengthens and reinforces social
relationships; for example, it places great importance on the role of


 The moral system in Islam 67

the family. Treating parents kindly, maintaining good relations with

other family members, seeing to the rights and needs of spouses and
children and dealing with them with love and mercy, and supporting
orphans and the weaker members of society are all obligatory.
Conversely, disobeying parents, severing family ties, neglecting or
abusing spouses and children, and isolating oneself are all prohibited.
In addition, the Quran teaches that we should treat others with high
moral behaviour and noble manners. We are encouraged to smile,
forgive, return harm with good, and have patience when dealing with
others. Since this high code of moral behaviour can be quite trying,
Allah has promised immense rewards for those who achieve it.
The Prophet (bpuh) instructed us to adopt good manners when in
gatherings, such as not raising our voices, respecting elders, being
gentle with youngsters, and greeting those present by saying Assalamu
alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu (May the peace, mercy and
blessings of Allah be upon you). Islam also demands that we guard
our tongues against saying negative things about others, even if what
we want to say is true.
Islam also enjoins that agreements and contracts be fulfilled,
entrusted items returned, and rulers obeyed. It enjoins noble
characteristics just as it forbids vileness, baseness, crime, oppression,
hostility, aggression, and all other blameworthy and reprehensible
qualities.

12.3 Relationships with parents

Islam highly recommends kindness to parents. This command is
mentioned eight times in the Quran. In one of the verses, Allah said to
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh):

{And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to
parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age
[while] with you, say not to them [so much as], ‘uff’, and do not repel
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

68 Who deserves to be worshipped?

them, but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of
humility out of mercy and say: My Lord, have mercy upon them as
they brought me up [when I was] small.} (Quran 17: 23-24)

«A man asked Prophet Muhammad (bpuh): Whom should I honour

most?
The Prophet (bpuh) replied: Your mother.
The man asked: And who comes next?
The Prophet (bpuh) answered: Your mother.
The man inquired again: And who comes next?
The Prophet (bpuh) responded: Your mother.
The man queried again: And who comes next?
The Prophet replied: Your father.»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)

12.4 Relationships with other relatives

Kindness towards relatives has been promoted by most major
religions, but Islam takes this aspect to a new dimension. We are
obliged to assist our relatives through economic as well as social
means. Relatives have specific rights laid out by the Sharia (Islamic
law); these are based on the nearness of the blood relationship. This
can be seen mostly in the rights of inheritors, which are specifically
laid out in the Quran. Certain relatives receive shares of the
inheritance, and a Muslim may bequeath up to one-third of the estate
to relatives (or others) who are not assigned a share. When it comes to
charity, one must fulfil the rights of relatives before donating money
to others, so that members of one’s own family are not forced to go
elsewhere to seek help.
Muslims must treat all relatives―whether or not they are
Muslims―with utmost respect and kindness; they must not boycott
their relatives or cut off relations with them. They are encouraged to


 The moral system in Islam 69

stay in contact even if these relatives abandon them. Indeed,

maintaining family ties is of such great importance that Muslims are
rewarded greatly for any good actions that promote this.

12.5 Relationships with neighbours

Islam encourages treating neighbours very kindly. There is a verse in
the Quran that sums this all up:

{...and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the

near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side,
the traveler...} (Quran 4: 36)

Also, the Prophet (bpuh) said:

«(The angel) Gabriel continued to urge me to treat neighbours kindly
and politely, to the extent that I thought he would order me to make
them my heirs.» (Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)
The Prophet (bpuh) also said:
«Anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his
neighbour, and anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day should
entertain guests generously, and anyone who believes in Allah and the
Last Day should say what is good or keep quiet.»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)
Remember, kindness to neighbours is rewarded by Allah.

12.6 Food — moral conduct

The Prophet (bpuh) taught many practical good manners, including
the virtue of adopting the correct manners for eating and drinking.
These include eating with your right hand and being satisfied with the
food rather than finding fault with it. If you like the food, you should
eat it, but if you have no appetite for it, simply leave it in the dish
without criticizing it. This is both out of respect for the blessing of the
food and in order to avoid hurting the feelings of the person who has
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

70 Who deserves to be worshipped?

cooked and/or offered it. It is also preferred to eat with others and not
alone, either by eating with your family or by inviting a poor person to
join you. Say Bismillah (In the name of Allah [I start]) before
beginning to eat, and say Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to Allah)
after the meal, in order to remember the blessing that you have been
given and also the One Who provided it. The Prophet (bpuh)
prohibited people from blowing on food or drink or breathing onto it,
out of respect for others who may be sharing it and to avoid the spread
of contagious diseases.

12.7 Hygiene — Islamic moral conduct

Islam also enjoins both physical and spiritual cleanliness. It
encourages us to keep our bodies clean, along with our clothes and
shoes. Islam has guided Muslims for our own well-being, down to the
minute details. For example, we are encouraged to wash thoroughly
after using the toilet, to clean the teeth often (especially with the
siwak, a natural toothbrush), and to shower after having sexual
relations.

12.8 Spiritual — Islamic moral conduct

In regard to spiritual purity, the Quran instructs us to straighten and
correct our souls and to purify our hearts from spite, malice, jealousy,
pride, and inequity. The Quran calls for integrity of the heart and for
love, affection, and humility towards people; it instructs us to purify
our tongues from lying, backbiting, slander, and insult, and the
enormity of such sins is emphasized in many of its verses. Chapter
104 (The Slanderer) is dedicated to slander and backbiting, which
should be replaced by truthfulness and softness in speech. Islam
encourages unity, so much so that we should give as many excuses as
we can for suspected bad behaviour or speech on the part of fellow
Muslims. The wealth, property, and life of a Muslim are held sacred;


 The moral system in Islam 71

no one has the right to interfere with these without the individual’s
express permission.
We should restrain our eyes from looking at what they are not
entitled to (such as the private parts of others), and we should keep
our ears from listening to loose and immoral talk, including lewd song
lyrics.
The Quran praises and encourages knowledge and criticizes
ignorance, saying that it leads to destruction. It commands people to
action and dynamism, while prohibiting wasteful talk and laziness.

12.9 Family structure and rights

Islam teaches that children should be born within a legal marriage and
that sexual desire should be controlled and contained within these
parameters.
To uphold the family structure and the well-being of society, the
Quran prohibits fornication because it is one of the worst assaults on a
person’s honour and dignity. It can cause disease and produce children
who are looked upon by society as ‘illegitimate’. Likewise, the Quran
forbids everything which leads to fornication, so it prohibits behaviour
like looking at pornographic pictures and being alone with members
of the opposite sex who are not mahrams.33 It also commands that
men lower their gaze and not look or stare at women whom they have
no right to look at. Muslim women thus enjoy protection and security
and can be confident that Muslim men will not even look at them if
they are not permitted to. Likewise, women should not gaze at men
unlawfully.

33 mahram: a man with whom marriage is not permitted; for example, a

woman’s brother or father. Non-mahram men are those whom a woman
is permitted to marry.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

72 Who deserves to be worshipped?

12.10 Decency and veiling

With this same reasoning, Islam enjoins morality in behaviour and
appearance. Fashions that reduce women to sex objects are not
acceptable, and Islamic veiling is a means of protection from
unwanted external attention. Allah says in the Quran:

{O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the
believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments.
That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused...}
(Quran 33: 59)

In the privacy of their own homes and in the presence of their

husbands, when they will receive only the type of attention they
desire, women may wear whatever they wish.

12.11 The rights of the wife

Islam urges men to be kind to their wives. Allah says in the Quran:

{...He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find
tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and
mercy...} (Quran 30: 21)

Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said:

«The best of you are those who are kindest to their wives.»
(Recorded by Ibn Majah with a sound chain of narration)
Some people are kind in public where everyone is watching, yet
they are mean and cruel at home. Islam holds Muslims accountable
even in this situation, where their true nature may be revealed. This is
the true test of moral behaviour.
In Islam, the wife retains her independent legal status and family
name. She is not the property of her husband in any way, but she has
many rights due from him, as he does from her.


 The moral system in Islam 73

The husband must give his wife a gift at the time of marriage, and
this is hers to keep even if she is later divorced. The wife does not
give a dowry to the husband, and she is never obliged to act as a co-
provider for the family, although she may do so voluntarily. It is the
husband’s sole responsibility to support his family financially. Islam
gives women (whether married, divorced, or single) the right to inherit
and own property and to conduct business.

12.12 Polygyny
Polygyny (a man’s having more than one wife) is permitted in Islam,
especially to alleviate social problems such as the plight of orphans
and widows who need support. It is also a way to safeguard honesty
and matrimonial trustworthiness (especially within the family) for
those who have a desire or need for more than one sexual partner;
instead of having an extramarital affair, the man is required to take
responsibility for his actions. Islam limits polygyny to a maximum of
four wives at one time, and it requires the husband to treat them
equally, caring for his wives financially and emotionally in the exact
same manner. It should be noted that if a woman is unhappy in this
situation, and she fears that she will be unable to fulfil her
responsibilities to her husband as well as to Allah, she can opt out of
the marriage. A man is not allowed to force his wife to stay married.

12.13 Divorce rules

Islam is a religion of moderation. Although divorce is allowed when
necessary, family unity is encouraged. For example, in the event of a
divorce, the two spouses are encouraged to bring arbitrators from their
family members to help reconcile them. Islam discourages divorce,
yet it recognizes the rights of both partners to end their matrimonial
relationship if circumstances dictate it. Prophet Muhammad (bpuh)
said:
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

74 Who deserves to be worshipped?

«A believing man should not hate a believing woman. If he dislikes

one of her traits, he will be pleased with another.»
(Recorded by Muslim)
Therefore Islam is realistic about the option of divorce, but it also
encourages attempts to resolve any conflicts and hold the marriage
together.

12.14 Protection of life

The Quran also calls for the protection and sanctity of human life,
specifically mentioning that the taking of an innocent life is one of the
worst and most hideous crimes. The Prophet (bpuh) forbade breaking
the bones of a dead person, so what about the taking of an innocent
life? The Quran prescribes ‘a life for a life’ and ‘an eye for an eye’ for
all killings and injuries (large or small) respectively, unless the
victims or their families agree to accept financial compensation
instead.

12.15 Protection of property

The Quran declares that a person’s property and wealth are safe and
inviolable; therefore, it prohibits theft, bribery, usury, and deception.
It calls for moderation in spending; hence it forbids extravagance,
lavishness, and squandering money, while at the same time forbidding
the hoarding and amassing of wealth. It calls for balance; people
should neither be greedy, stingy, and covetous nor extravagant and
wasteful. It encourages people to seek their livelihoods and provisions
through lawful activities that bring financial or material benefit to all
parties concerned, such as buying, selling, and leasing.

12.16 Animal rights

The Prophet (bpuh) ordered that animals be treated fairly and with
kindness, instructing that they should be fed and given water. He


 The moral system in Islam 75

promised that such actions would be rewarded on the Day of

Resurrection. He also instructed that they should not be made to carry
a burden more than they can bear, tormented or caused undue
suffering, or killed (unless they were harmful). If an animal is to be
slaughtered as food, it should not be slaughtered in front of other
animals since this would cause them anguish.

12.17 Maintaining health

Islam promotes good health and therefore commands that only
wholesome and nutritious food be eaten, and eaten in moderation.
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) warned against overeating, saying:
«No man fills a container worse than his stomach. A few morsels that
keep his back upright are sufficient for him. If he has to, then he
should keep one-third for food, one-third for drink, and one-third for
his breathing.» (A sound hadith recorded by Tirmidhi)
Islam prohibits the consumption of all harmful food and drink such
as pork, carrion, tobacco, alcohol and other intoxicants (mind-altering
substances), and so forth.

{He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of
swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But
whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor
transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is
Forgiving and Merciful.} (Quran 2: 173)

In the past, pork was known to carry the risk of trichinosis, a

disease caused by parasitic roundworms usually found in undercooked
pork. Today, some consider this risk to be low, since food safety
standards are more advanced, but in fact, pork still may be harmful. In
its January 2013 issue, Consumer Reports published an article titled,
“Pork Chops and Ground Pork Contaminated with Bacteria,” which
began:
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

76 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Our analysis of pork-chop and ground-pork samples from

around the U.S. found that yersinia enterocolitica, a bacterium
that can cause fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, was
widespread. Some samples harbored other potentially harmful
bacteria, including salmonella...
Some of the bacteria we found in 198 samples proved to be
resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat people. The
frequent use of low-dose antibiotics in pork farming may be
accelerating the growth of drug-resistant “superbugs” that
threaten human health.
The dangers of tobacco are well known. A fact sheet at the World
Health Organization website states that tobacco kills six million
people a year (including 600,000 from the effects of second-hand
smoke, which causes “serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases,
including coronary heart disease and lung cancer”). Up to half of all
tobacco users will die from a tobacco-related disease.

{O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing

on] stone altars [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but
defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be
successful.} (Quran 5: 90)

As for alcohol, its dangers are also well documented. The World
Health Organization’s fact sheet on alcohol explains that,
“Worldwide, 3.3 million deaths every year result from harmful use of
alcohol, this represent [sic] 5.9% of all deaths.” Alcohol is also
described as “a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury
conditions,” including “a range of mental and behavioural disorders,
other noncommunicable conditions as well as injuries” and infectious
diseases. Current medical advice often refers to “moderate drinking”
as being safe for some people, and news reports even cite some
benefits from “moderate” drinking. Allah addressed this argument
when He informed us:


 The moral system in Islam 77

{They ask you about wine and gambling. Say: In them is great sin and
[yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their
benefit...} (Quran 2: 219)

Islam also prescribes fasting, which has many benefits for the
body, especially for the digestive system.

12.18 Rights of the deceased

Islam maintains respect for a person even after death. When a Muslim
dies, he or she must be buried according to the teachings of Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh). The body of the person is washed and perfumed.
After that, it is wrapped in an unstitched white cloth shroud, and the
body is buried facing the Kaaba (the House of Allah in Makkah,
originally built by Prophets Abraham and Ishmael).
We are advised to hold the deceased’s body gently to ensure that
its bones do not break. Before and after the burial, people are
encouraged to pray that Allah forgive the deceased and admit him or
her into paradise. Islam prohibits sitting on or walking over a grave, in
another sign of respect for the dead.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

13. ISLAM AND OTHER RELIGIONS

Onenamely
may ask, “If all true religions came with the same message,
the worship of Allah alone, then why do we find such
differences between them?”
The answer is that the original forms of these earlier messages
were either lost or distorted by later generations. Consequently, the
pure messages of monotheism became polluted with myths,
superstitions, idolatry, and irrational philosophical beliefs, to the
extent that those religions no longer represent the embodiment of
Allah’s revelations. However, Allah, the Compassionate, did not leave
human beings without guidance. He ultimately sent Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) to revive the original message and to call human
beings back to the correct path: believing in the unique Oneness of
Allah and worshipping Him according to His teachings as mentioned
in the Quran.
Consequently, Islam is the seal and completion of all religions, the
Quran is the seal and completion of all revealed books, and Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) is the seal of all prophets—the final prophet.


14. ELEVEN FACTS ABOUT JESUS (PBUH)
AND HIS MOTHER (MARY) IN ISLAMIC
TEACHINGS

highlights the important aspects of Jesus’ birth, along

ThewithQuran
his miracles, his mission, and his ascension. The Quranic
account of Jesus’ ministry confirms most of his miracles mentioned
in the Bible; it even identifies some that are not mentioned in the
Bible. What we know about Prophet Jesus Christ (pbuh) can be
divided into two topics: his personality and his message. The
following are eleven facts that you should know about Jesus (pbuh) in
the Islamic teachings.

14.1 The status of Jesus (pbuh) in Islam

Islam teaches that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is one of the most respected
prophets because of his efforts in spreading the word of Allah.
Muslims display a true spirit of love towards him and his mother,
Mary. There is not a single disparaging remark against Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) or any other prophet in the entire Quran or in other Islamic
literature or Islamic history books. Evidence of praise for Jesus (pbuh)
is the fact that his story, along with that of his mother, is mentioned in
three places in the Quran: Chapters 3, 4, and 19. In fact, an entire
chapter of the Quran (Chapter 19) is named ‘Maryam’ (Mary) in her
honour.34
Another sign of praise is that the name of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is
mentioned twenty-five times in the Quran; in contrast, Prophet

34 Readers should note that this honour has not been given to Mary in the
New Testament, and none of its books is named after Mary or her son
Jesus. It is also noteworthy that there is no chapter in the Quran named
after any of Prophet Muhammad’s wives or daughters.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

80 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Muhammad (bpuh) is mentioned by name only four times. This

proves that Islam honours all prophets for the message they have in
common; it did not disregard earlier prophets with the coming of
another.
Jesus (pbuh) has been referred to in the Quran by many titles: Ibn
Maryam (son of Mary), the Messiah (the anointed one), Abdullah
(slave of Allah), and Rasool Allah (Messenger of Allah).
This praise and glorification agree with what Jesus (pbuh) is
reported to have said about the prophet who would succeed him, “He
will glorify me.” (John 16:14)

14.2 The beginning of Jesus’ lineage

The Quranic account of Jesus (pbuh) starts with the story of his
grandmother, the wife of Imran. When she conceived Mary, she
vowed to dedicate her unborn child to the worship of Allah and to the
service of Bayt al-Maqdis.35
Mary grew up to be very righteous. She dedicated herself to the
service of Bayt al-Maqdis and to the worship of Allah, the Exalted,
and she received provisions from Him. Therefore, it is no mystery as
to why she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus (pbuh). The Quranic
verses inform us:

{[Mention, O Muhammad,] when the wife of ‘Imran said: My Lord,

indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for
Your service],36 so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing,

35 Bayt al-Maqdis is the Islamic name for Jerusalem, especially for its place
of worship, which was built many centuries before Moses (pbuh) and has
been destroyed and rebuilt many times throughout history. After the
death of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), the second Islamic caliph, Umar
ibn al-Khattab, ruled Palestine and built the Islamic mosque that remains
in that location today.
36 meaning through service to Bayt al-Maqdis.


 Eleven facts about Jesus and his mother Mary 81

the Knowing. But when she delivered her, she said: My Lord, I have
delivered a female—and Allah was most knowing of what she
delivered—and the male is not like the female. I have named her
Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from
Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah]. So her Lord accepted
her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner
and put her in the care of Zachariah. Every time Zachariah visited her
in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said: O Mary,
from where is this [coming] to you? She said: It is from Allah. Indeed,
Allah provides for whom He wills without account.} (Quran 3: 35-37)

It is interesting to note that when the mother of Mary delivered her

child, she was a bit disappointed to discover that she did not have a
son, because she had always wished for her child to be dedicated to
the worship of Allah. Little did she know that this very child would be
extremely righteous and would end up being the mother of Jesus
himself. This was better for her than a son, hence Allah’s words:
{…and Allah was most knowing of what she delivered…}

14.3 The status of Mary

Mary, mother of Jesus, is very highly respected in Islam. Her story is
an important one that is mentioned several times in the Quran. Mary is
mentioned by name thirty-one times in the Quran, and an entire
chapter is named after her. This is an honour that not even the women
in Prophet Muhammad’s family were accorded. Although there are
stories and anecdotes in the Quran about other women of strong faith,
and others of importance in the history of the three Abrahamic
religions, none other than Mary is actually mentioned by name.
Allah has said:

{And [mention] when the angels said: O Mary, indeed Allah has
chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the
worlds. O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

82 Who deserves to be worshipped?

bow with those who bow [in prayer]. That is from the news of the
unseen which We reveal to you [O Muhammad]…} (Quran 3: 42-44)

14.4 The news about Jesus (pbuh)

When Mary approached adulthood, she was informed well before
Jesus’ birth about the honour of bearing this noble son. It was the
angel Gabriel (pbuh) who appeared in front of her with this news. The
following verses in the Quran describe the dialogue between Mary
and the angel:

{[And mention] when the angels said: O Mary, indeed Allah gives
you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the
Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary—distinguished in this world and the
hereafter and among those brought near [to Allah]. He will speak to
the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous.
She said: My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched
me? [The angel] said: Such is Allah; He creates what He wills. When
He decrees a matter, He only says to it: Be—and it is.}
(Quran 3: 45-47)

14.5 The birth of Jesus (pbuh)

Mary conceived this child miraculously (and this was the first miracle
of Jesus) and retired to a distant place where she waited for the birth
of her child. This amazing story has been related to us in Chapter 19
of the Quran, titled Maryam (Mary):

{So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place.
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She
said: Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.
But he called her from below her: Do not grieve; your Lord has
provided beneath you a stream. And shake toward you the trunk of the
palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and
be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say:
Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not
speak today to [any] man.} (Quran 19: 22-26)


 Eleven facts about Jesus and his mother Mary 83

Allah created Adam from neither a man nor a woman, while he

created Eve from the rib of a man (Adam). He has created the rest of
humanity, both male and female, from the union of males and
females. From the union of a man and woman, He can create males
only, females only, both males and females, or no offspring at all (if
one or both of them are infertile). He is the Creator and All-powerful.
He can create from elderly men and women, as He did with Prophets
Abraham and Zachariah and their wives, who were given Isaac and
John the Baptist, respectively. Bearing that in mind, the creation of
Jesus through the medium of a woman, but without the intervention of
a man, is certainly possible and in accordance with the notion that
Allah creates whoever and however He wills; thus, it is not difficult to
believe and accept.

{Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He

created Him from dust; then He said to him: Be—and he was.}
(Quran 3: 59)

14.6 Subsequent miracles of Jesus (pbuh)

Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was blessed with the ability to perform many
miracles. This supported his claim that he was a prophet sent by Allah
Almighty, Who has said:

{…And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported
him with the pure spirit…} (Quran 2: 87)

Muslims do not hesitate to accept that Jesus (pbuh) performed

miracles. At the same time, Muslims do not elevate Jesus (pbuh) to
the position of Allah or describe him as the ‘son of God’. They do not
consider him to be anything more than a divinely-inspired man: a
messenger and prophet of Allah.
The same applies to all the other prophets, since many of them
were blessed with different miracles as well.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

84 Who deserves to be worshipped?

The first miracle associated with Jesus (pbuh) was that he was born
from a mother without any human intervention (father). Allah gave
the divine command “Be,” and he was created.
The Quran has mentioned the miraculous creation of both Adam
and Jesus in the following verse (which was mentioned in the previous
section):

{Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He

created Him from dust; then He said to him: Be—and he was.}
(Quran 3: 59)

The Quran has mentioned that Jesus’ miraculous birth did not
change his status as a human; in other words, he did not evolve from a
human being to become Allah or a son of Allah. If that had been the
case, then Adam would have had a greater right to such an honour,
since he was born without a human father OR mother.
Another miracle was that Allah gave Jesus (pbuh) the ability to
speak as a new-born baby, a blessing which helped save his mother
from the harsh slander of her own community. This remarkable story
has been narrated in the Quran:

{Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said: O
Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented. O sister of
Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother
unchaste. So she pointed to him. They said: How can we speak to one
who is in the cradle, a child? [Jesus] said: Indeed, I am the slave of
Allah. He has given me the scripture and made me a prophet. And He
has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer
and zakah as long as I remain alive, and [made me] dutiful to my
mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace is on


 Eleven facts about Jesus and his mother Mary 85

me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised
alive.}37 (Quran 19: 27-33)

Other subsequent miracles performed by Jesus (pbuh) have also

been mentioned in the Quran:

{[The day] when Allah will say: O Jesus, son of Mary, remember
My favour upon you and upon your mother when I supported you
with the pure spirit and you spoke to the people in the cradle and in
maturity;38 and [remember] when I taught you writing and
wisdom,39 and the Torah and the Gospel,40 and when you designed
from clay [what was] like the form of a bird with My permission,
then you breathed into it, and it became a bird with My permission;
and you healed the blind and the leper with My permission; and
when you brought forth the dead with My permission; and when I
restrained the children of Israel from [killing] you when you came
to them with clear proofs and those who disbelieved among them
said: This is not but obvious magic. } (Quran 5: 110)

Indeed, the Islamic account of the miracles bestowed on Jesus

(pbuh) describes more miracles than those known to Christians. Points
14.10 and 14.11 below describe two more miracles associated with
Jesus (pbuh) and his role as the Messiah.

37 It should be noted that this amazing miracle was not mentioned

anywhere in the New Testament.
38 This means that Jesus called people to worship Allah both while he was
a baby in the cradle and when he reached adulthood.
39 ‘Wisdom’ here means the correct and profound understanding of
religion.
40 In this context, ‘Gospel’ refers to the original form of revelation given to
Jesus, not the Gospels that exist in the Bible today. According to Quranic
exegesis, Jesus had memorized this revelation as well as the Torah (the
scripture revealed to Moses).
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

86 Who deserves to be worshipped?

An important note
As shown in the previous verse, it was emphasized after mentioning
each miracle that whenever Jesus (pbuh) performed a miracle, he
informed people that it was by Allah’s permission. He made it clear to
his followers that he was not performing the miracle by himself. As
Dr Philips points out:
There are texts in the New Testament which confirm that
Jesus did not act on his own. Jesus is quoted in John 5:30
saying: I can of mine own self do nothing... In Acts 2:22, Paul
writes: Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a
man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders
and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you
yourselves know...41

14.7 Human qualities of Jesus (pbuh)

Islam forbids the deification of human beings (going to excess in the
exaltation of human beings—prophets or otherwise—to the point
where they perceive them to be divine). On the other hand, Christian
beliefs teach that Jesus (pbuh) was human and divine at the same time.
Addressing both the Jews and the Christians, Allah has said in the
Quran:

{O People of the Scripture,42 do not commit excess in your religion or

say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary,
was but a messenger of Allah, and His word which He directed to
Mary, and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in
Allah and His messengers. And do not say: Three; desist—it is better
for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a

41 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 45.

42 Allah begins this sacred verse with a word of respect; the Jews and the
Christians are addressed as learned people who have received revelation
in the form of scripture.


 Eleven facts about Jesus and his mother Mary 87

son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on

the earth, and sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs. Never would
the Messiah disdain to be a slave of Allah, nor would the angels near
[to Him]. And whoever disdains His worship and is arrogant—He will
gather them to Himself all together. And as for those who believed
and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards and
grant them extra from His bounty. But as for those who disdained and
were arrogant, He will punish them with a painful punishment, and
they will not find for themselves besides Allah any protector or
helper. O humankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from
your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light. So those who
believe in Allah and hold fast to Him—He will admit them to mercy
from Himself and bounty and guide them to Himself on a straight
path.} (Quran 4: 171-175)

Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) also warned against the deification of

humans. He said:
«O people, beware of going to excesses in religion, for verily people
before you were destroyed for going to excesses in religion.»
(Recorded by Ibn Majah and Nasai with a sound chain of narration)
Being a human prophet, Jesus (pbuh) did not ask people to worship
him, and there is no evidence in the Bible that he did so. Allah has
informed us in the Quran that on the Day of Judgement, He will
gather all the nations in front of Himself and will ask the messengers
how they were received by their peoples and what they said to them.
Among those who are going to be questioned is Jesus (pbuh):

{And [beware the day] when Allah will say: O Jesus, son of Mary, did
you say to the people: Take me and my mother as deities besides
Allah? He will say: Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to
which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You
know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within
Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen. I said not to
them except what You commanded me—to worship Allah, my Lord
and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among
them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them,
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

88 Who deserves to be worshipped?

and You are, over all things, Witness. If You should punish them—
indeed they are Your slaves; but if You forgive them—indeed it is
You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. Allah will say: This is the
day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness. For them are
gardens [in paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will
abide forever, Allah being pleased with them, and they with Him.
That is the great attainment.} (Quran 5: 116-119)

It is clear that Jesus’ essence is different from Allah’s essence, so it

is not logical to say that Jesus is the son of Allah.

14.8 The prophethood of Jesus (pbuh)

The Islamic view of Jesus (pbuh) is a moderate one, as it lies between
the two extremes. The Jews rejected Jesus (pbuh) in his role as a
prophet of Allah and called him an impostor. The Christians, on the
other hand, considered him to be the son of God (Allah) and ‘God-
incarnate’ in some cases; thus, they began worshipping him. Islam
considers Jesus (pbuh) to be one of the greatest prophets of Allah,
Who has said:

{The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other]

messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a
supporter of truth.43 They both used to eat food. Look how We make
clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded.}
(Quran 5: 75)

14.9 The mission of Jesus (pbuh)

Now one might ask: what was the real mission of Jesus (pbuh)
according to the Quran?

43 Mary was a pious, virtuous woman who never claimed that she was the
mother of God or that her son was God.


 Eleven facts about Jesus and his mother Mary 89

The answer is that Jesus (pbuh) propagated the message of

monotheism: worship of Allah alone, as prescribed in the original
Gospels. He worked hard to propagate this message, inviting all of the
people of Israel to accept it. On the Day of Judgement, when Allah
asks Jesus whether he instructed the Christians to worship him and his
mother, Jesus will reply:

{I said not to them except what You commanded me—to worship

Allah, my Lord and your Lord...} (Quran 5: 117)44

The prophecy of Muhammad (bpuh) as a successor to Christ was a

part of Jesus’ message. Allah has mentioned:

{And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said: O children of

Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what
came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a
messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad. But when he
came to them with clear evidences, they said: This is obvious magic.}
(Quran 61: 6)

Though the Bible has been altered a great deal over time, it
contains remnants of the original true message revealed to Prophet
Jesus (pbuh). In this regard, the messenger of whom Jesus gave glad
tidings and prophecies is still referred to in both the Old and New
Testaments of the Bible.
Jesus was a link in a long line of prophets and messengers whom
Allah sent to various civilizations and nations whenever they needed
guidance or deviated from His teachings. Jesus was sent by Allah
especially to preach to the Jews, who had deviated from the teachings
of Moses and other messengers. Just as he was supported by Allah
miraculously in his conception, birth and childhood, he was also

44 For details, refer to Section 17.3: Revival of the doctrine of monotheism.

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

90 Who deserves to be worshipped?

supported by numerous miracles to prove that he was a messenger

from Allah. However, a majority of Jews rejected his ministry.
It must be noted that Jesus Christ (pbuh), son of Mary, was the last
in the line of prophets sent to the Jewish people exclusively.

14.10 The ascension of Jesus (pbuh)

Jesus’ ascension is the last miracle that was given to him while he was
on the earth. The Jews and Romans attempted to kill him, but Allah
replaced him with another man who resembled him, and it was this
man who was killed. Jesus (pbuh) was neither killed nor crucified;
rather, he was raised to Allah. To this day, the Christians believe that
Jesus himself was the one who was killed, but Allah has said:

{And [for] their saying: Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the
son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. And they did not kill him, nor
did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them.
And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have
no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did
not kill him, for certain. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And
ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.} (Quran 4: 157-158)

14.11 The second coming of Jesus (pbuh)

In the Islamic teachings, there is clear evidence indicating the second
coming of Jesus (pbuh) before the final hour; this will be his final
miracle. He will return not as God, as the Christians believe, but as
Jesus, Allah’s messenger and slave, as he has always been. One of the
purposes of his coming will be to correct the misconceptions
surrounding his message and mission. According to a statement of
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), he will stay for forty years, and these will
be the happiest years of life on this earth. During that time, those who
had misconceptions about him will correct their understanding and
believe in him as a messenger, not as the son of God (Allah).


 Eleven facts about Jesus and his mother Mary 91

It was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with

him)45 that the Messenger of Allah (bpuh) said:
«By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it will not be long before the
son of Mary descends amongst you, a just judge and ruler. He will
break the cross, kill the swine and abolish the jizyah.46 Money will be
so plentiful that no one will accept it. At that time, a single prostration
will be better than this world and everything in it.47
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) then said: Read if you
wish (the following verse of the Quran):

{And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will
surely believe in Jesus before his death. And on the Day of
Resurrection, he will be against them a witness.} (Quran 4: 159)»
(Recorded by Bukhari)

In another narration, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with

him) said that:
«Among the things that Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was recorded to
have said regarding Prophet Jesus’ return is the following:

45 Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the closest
Companions of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh). It should be noted that the
words, actions and tacit approvals of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) have
been narrated by the Companions and have subsequently been recorded.
A Companion, according to the majority of scholars, is one who met
personally with Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) during his lifetime and was
a Muslim at the time of meeting him. Thus, one will find much of the
history of the Prophet (bpuh) through such narrations, called hadiths.
46 jizyah: a tax paid by Christians and Jews living under Muslim protection.
(The Muslims do not pay jizyah, but they must give a percentage of their
personal wealth as obligatory charity to designated categories of
recipients, such as the poor and the needy.)
47 This is because with the coming of Jesus, people will know with
certainty that the final hour is very near.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

92 Who deserves to be worshipped?

There will be no prophet between Jesus and me, and Jesus will return.
When he does, you will know him. He will be a well-built man of
ruddy complexion, and he will descend wearing a two-piece garment.
His hair will look wet, though no water will have touched it. He will
fight people to establish Islam and he will break the cross, kill the
swine and cancel the jizyah. During his time, Allah will destroy all
religions except Islam, and the Antichrist will be killed.48 Jesus will
remain on Earth for forty years, and when he dies, Muslims will pray
the funeral prayer for him.»
(A sound hadith recorded by Abu Dawood)

Jesus’ return will be one of the signs of the Day of Judgement. It

will be the final miracle given to him before he dies.

Conclusion
The eleven points in this chapter shed light on the personality of Jesus
(pbuh) from the Islamic perspective. Splits and conflicts regarding the
reality of Jesus’ personality have existed over the last twenty
centuries, as Christian teachings were heavily polluted with man-made
thoughts and Roman beliefs, causing them to stray far from the
inspiration revealed to Jesus (pbuh). These controversies have been
cleared away by the teachings of Islam.

48 The Antichrist is also called the ‘false Christ’; he is a man who will
claim that he is Allah, and he will be followed by ignorant people, but
Prophet Jesus will find him and kill him.


15. THE AMAZING PROPHECIES OF
MUHAMMAD (BPUH) IN THE BIBLE:
TWENTY-EIGHT PROOFS FROM THE
BIBLE OF MUHAMMAD’S
PROPHETHOOD49

T hose who believe in the Bible should know that it includes nearly
thirty prophecies about the coming of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh)
as a prophet for all people, and these ultimately prove the truth of the
religion he came with (namely, Islam).
Hence, if the Bible (or another scripture) contains apparent
prophecies about the coming of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), then
there is nothing unusual or objectionable in referring to such
prophecies.
Describing true believers amongst the followers of Moses and
Jesus (peace be upon them), the Quran has stated:

{Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet,50 whom

they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who

49 This chapter was compiled from Muhammad in the Bible by Dr Jamal

Badawi and What the Bible Says about Muhammad by Ahmed Deedat.
50 Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was illiterate; he could neither read nor
write. No human had ever taught him a word. The wisdom behind his
unlettered status is to repel false accusations that the Quran was written
or authored by Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) himself. It should be noted
that there were no Arabic-language Bibles in existence in the 7th century
CE, when Muhammad (bpuh) lived and preached. Indeed, Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) was educated through the Quran, which was revealed
to him by His Creator and which contained things that no other human
being could have known. Additionally, the Messenger of Allah (bpuh)
was the best of humanity in every aspect of his character, including his
intellectual skills.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

94 Who deserves to be worshipped?

enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong, and
makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil,
and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon
them. So they who have believed in him, honoured him, supported
him and followed the light which was sent down with him—it is those
who will be the successful.} (Quran 7: 157)

The original scriptures given to Prophets Moses and Jesus (peace

be upon them) contained a complete profile and clear prophecies of
the coming of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh). Even in its present
form(s), the Bible still contains many such prophecies, as will be
shown in the forthcoming chapters. Quoting Prophet Jesus (pbuh), the
Quran has stated:

{And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said: O children of

Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what
came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a
messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad. But when he
came to them with clear evidences, they said: This is obvious magic.}
(Quran 61: 6)

The main attributes of Prophet Muhammad’s profile in

the Bible
The main elements in Prophet Muhammad’s profile, as depicted in
the Bible, are the following eight:
1) His name
2) His characteristics
3) The location from which he was to emerge
4) The message to be revealed through him
5) The fulfilment of prophecies which he foretold
6) The time when he was to appear
7) The unique proof


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 95

8) The consistency between Muhammad’s and Jesus’ teachings

15.1 His name

Proof 1: Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) is mentioned by name in ten
places in the Gospel of Barnabas.
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) is mentioned by name in ten places in
the Gospel of Barnabas, in Chapters 39, 41, 44, 54, 55, 97, 112, 136,
165, and 220.51 Consider the following explicit quote from Chapter
165:
The disciples answered: O Master, who shall that man be of
whom you speak, who shall come into the world? Jesus
answered with joy of heart: He is Muhammad; Messenger of
God, and when he comes into the world, even as the rain
makes the earth to bear fruit when for a long time it has not
rained, even so shall he be occasion of good works among
men, through the abundant mercy which he shall bring. For he
is a white cloud full of the mercy of God, which mercy God
shall sprinkle upon the faithful like rain.
It is a fact that the Trinitarian church has done its utmost to
obliterate all existing copies of the Gospel of Barnabas and to either
hide it from the masses or to label it a forgery.

15.2 His characteristics

Moses (pbuh) reported that God told him:
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their
brothers.52 And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall

51 The Gospel of Barnabas is not included in either the Protestant or

Catholic Bible.
52 When these words were spoken, they were addressed to the Israelites.
The most notable ‘brothers’ of Israelites (Jews, the descendants of
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

96 Who deserves to be worshipped?

speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not
listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself
will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19)
So the coming prophet will have three characteristics, which are
discussed in further detail below:
― He will be like Moses (pbuh).
― He will descend from the Ishmaelites, the brothers of the
Israelites.
― He will say what God instructs him to say (for God will put
“words in his mouth”).

Proof 2: Is like Moses (pbuh).

As explained in A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding
Islam:
There were hardly any two prophets who were as similar as
Prophets Moses and Muhammad (bpuh). Both were given a
comprehensive law and code of life. Both encountered their
enemies and were victorious in miraculous ways. Both were
accepted as prophets and statesmen. Both migrated following
conspiracies to assassinate them. Analogies between Moses
and Muhammad overlook not only the above similarities, but
other crucial ones as well. These include the natural birth, the
family life, and the death of Moses and Muhammad (bpuh)
but not that of Jesus. Moreover, Jesus was regarded by his
followers as the Son of God and not exclusively as a prophet
of God, as Moses and Muhammad (bpuh) were and as
Muslims believe Jesus was. So, this prophecy refers to
Muhammad (bpuh) and not to Jesus, because Muhammad
(bpuh) is more like Moses than Jesus [is].53

Abraham through his second son Isaac) are the Ishmaelites (Arabs, the
descendants of Abraham through his first son Ishmael).
53 Ibrahim, A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, 34.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 97

Some people believe that this prophecy refers to Prophet Jesus

(pbuh), but this cannot be true. The following eight points of
comparison among Prophets Moses (pbuh), Muhammad (bpuh), and
Jesus (pbuh) demonstrate that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) does not fit this
particular prophecy. This comparison is self-evident; it clarifies the
identity of the prophet who was to come after Moses (pbuh).

Birth
The birth of Jesus (pbuh) was miraculous. According to Christian
and Muslim beliefs, he was miraculously born of the Virgin Mary.54
However, both Moses (pbuh) and Muhammad (bpuh) were born in the
usual manner, as a result of the physical association of man and
woman. Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad (bpuh) is
like Moses.

Parents
Moses had a father and a mother, and so did Muhammad (bpuh).
Jesus, however, had only a mother and no human father. Therefore,
Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad (bpuh) is.

54 In the Gospel of Matthew 1:18:

When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph [the carpenter],
before they came together she was found to be with child from the
Holy Spirit.
Luke tells us that when the good news of the birth of a holy son was
announced to her:
Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And
the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you;” (Luke 1:34-35)
The noble Quran confirms the miraculous birth of Jesus in noble and
sublime terms. See Chapter 14: Eleven Facts about Jesus (pbuh) and His
Mother (Mary) in Islamic Teachings. It should be noted that it is not
necessary for Allah to plant a seed in any human or animal; he merely
wills it, and it comes into being. This is the correct view of the
conception and birth of Jesus.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

98 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Marital status
Both Moses (pbuh) and Muhammad (bpuh) got married and had
children. There is no record of a marriage and offspring in the case of
Jesus (pbuh). Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad
(bpuh) is.

Death
Both Moses (pbuh) and Muhammad (bpuh) died due to natural
causes and were buried. The end of the mission of Jesus (pbuh) on
Earth was unusual: being raised up to the heavens, according to
Islamic belief, and being crucified, resurrected, and then raised up,
according to Christian belief.55 According to Christians, Jesus died for
the sins of the world, but Moses did not have to die for the sins of the
world. He and Muhammad (bpuh) died due to natural causes.
Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad (bpuh) is.

Prophethood
Jesus was regarded by later Christians as the Son of God and not as
a prophet of God (Allah), as Moses and Muhammad (bpuh) were.
Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad (bpuh) is.

Acceptance/rejection of prophethood
Moses and Muhammad (bpuh) initially met with resistance and
scepticism, but they both were eventually accepted by their own
people, during their lifetimes, as prophets and leaders. This was not
the case with Jesus.
When Moses learned of a plot to kill him, he left Egypt and went to
Madyan, where he was welcomed and reassured by Jethro. After

55 This subject will be discussed in Chapter 16: The Facts about Original
Sin.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 99

returning to Egypt later, Moses led the Jews out of Egypt to escape
Pharaoh and his soldiers. There is no doubt that the Jews caused
endless trouble for Moses as they wandered in the wilderness—one
significant lapse was their worship of the golden calf—but ultimately,
the Jews, as a nation, acknowledged Moses as a Messenger of Allah
who was sent to them.
The Arabs made Muhammad’s life terribly difficult during the first
ten years of his mission, and he suffered very badly at their hands.
After thirteen years of preaching in Makkah, he left his hometown of
Makkah upon learning of a plot to kill him. He went to Yathrib, later
called Madinah, and before his death, the Arab nation in general
acknowledged him as a Messenger of Allah (bpuh).
In contrast, the Christian Gospels clearly confirm that with the
exception of a few followers, Jesus (pbuh) was rejected by his people
(the Israelites) throughout his lifetime. According to the Bible, “He
[Jesus] came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
(John 1:11) Even today, after 2,000 years, his own people—the
Jews—on the whole still reject him. Thus, from this aspect, Jesus is
not like Moses, but Muhammad (bpuh) is.

Confrontation of the enemy

Moses encountered his enemies (the Pharaoh’s army), who sought
to destroy him and his followers before they could escape to the Red
Sea. Muhammad (bpuh) also encountered his enemies (the pagan
Arabs), who sought in several battles to destroy him and his followers.
No such encounter was reported in the case of Jesus. On the contrary,
Jesus was reported to have commanded his disciple Simon Peter to put
his sword back into its sheath when he attempted to defend Jesus at
the time of his arrest. From this aspect as well, Jesus is not like Moses,
but Muhammad (bpuh) is.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

100 Who deserves to be worshipped?

MOSES MUHAMMAD JESUS

Birth normal normal miraculous

mother mother mother, no

Parents
and father and father human father

married, married, unmarried,

Marital status
children children no children

ascended to
normal, normal, heaven, will
Death
buried buried return to
Earth

Prophethood (in
seen as a seen as a seen as the
the eyes of
followers)
prophet prophet son of God

Accepted by
those he was sent yes yes mostly no
to?

Confronted
yes yes no
enemies?

Moral, military
yes yes no
victories?

Table 1: Comparison of characteristics among Prophets Moses,

Muhammad, and Jesus (peace be upon them all).


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 101

Moral and military victories

Moses’ encounter with his enemies ended with a military and
moral victory. His enemies drowned, and Moses and his followers
were saved.
Muhammad’s encounters with his enemies also ended with his
final military and moral victory over them. He and his followers re-
entered the city of Makkah, the centre of plotting against him.
Impressed with his truthfulness and magnanimity, the great majority
of his former enemies chose to become Muslims and his ardent
supporters. Jesus’ victory against his enemies was only a moral
victory, which did not involve an immediate military victory over
them. Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad (bpuh) is.

Conclusion
Given these eight points of comparison among Moses (pbuh),
Jesus (pbuh) and Muhammad (bpuh), the rational conclusion is that
Muhammad (bpuh) is the prophet referred to in Deuteronomy 18:18,
“like you (Moses).”

Proof 3: Descends from the Ishmaelites, the brothers of the

Israelites.
The two prophets, Muhammad (bpuh) and Moses (pbuh), were
descended from two brothers, Ishmael and Isaac, respectively. To
elaborate, Abraham (pbuh) had two wives: Sarah and Hagar. Hagar
bore Abraham his first son, Ishmael (pbuh),56 and then Sarah bore him
Isaac (pbuh).57 Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation,
and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The prophet
who was foretold was to come not from the Jews (the Israelites) but

56 See Genesis 16:15.

57 See Genesis 21:2-3.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

102 Who deserves to be worshipped?

from their brethren, the Ishmaelites. Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) is a

descendant of Ishmael; hence he is that prophet.
Isaiah 42 refers to the ‘servant’ of God (42:1), His ‘chosen’ (42:1),
and His ‘messenger’ (42:19). Isaiah 42:11 mentions that the ‘chosen’
one was from the descendants of Kedar. Who was Kedar?
These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the
order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and
Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam. (Genesis 25:13)
So Kedar was the second son of Ishmael, and Islamic teachings tell
us that they both were ancestors of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh).58
Isaiah 42 prophesies the ‘chosen’ one (Isaiah 42:1), whose mission
of prophethood would be for all the nations; this fits only Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh), whose mission was for all nations, unlike the
Hebrew prophets, whose missions were limited to Israel:
...he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint
or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:3-4)

58 Isaiah 42:1-8 reads:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul
delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to
the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it
heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly
burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth
justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has
established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.
Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched
them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who
gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: “I
am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by
the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out
the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in
darkness. I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no
other, nor my praise to carved idols.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 103

Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that
Kedar inhabits; (Isaiah 42:11)

Proof 4: Says what God instructs him to say.

Allah, the Almighty, put His words into the mouth of Muhammad
(bpuh) by sending the angel Gabriel (pbuh) to convey the exact words
he should repeat to the people. The words were not his own, since
they did not come from his own thoughts. To clarify, when teaching a
language, if the teacher asks a student to read or repeat after him, is he
not putting foreign words into the student’s mouth?
The words of the noble Quran were revealed in an identical
manner.
History tells us that Muhammad (bpuh) was forty years of age at
that time. One night during the month of Ramadan, he was in a cave
some three miles north of the city of Makkah. In the cave, the
archangel Gabriel (pbuh) commanded him in his mother tongue: Iqra
(which may be translated as: read, proclaim, or recite)!
Muhammad (bpuh) was terrified; in his bewilderment, he replied
that he was illiterate. The angel commanded him a second time, with
the same result. For the third time, the angel uttered the same
command. This time, Muhammad (bpuh) grasped that what was
required from him was to repeat and to recite, so he repeated the
words as they were put into his mouth:

{Recite in the name of your Lord Who created—created humankind

from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most
Generous—Who taught by the pen—taught humankind that which it
knew not.} (Quran 96: 1-5)

As soon as the awe-inspiring angel departed, Muhammad (bpuh)

rushed back home, shaking in fear and sweating all over. He asked his
beloved wife, Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her), to cover
him up. He lay down, and she remained by him, calming him down
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

104 Who deserves to be worshipped?

and comforting him. When he had regained his composure, he

described to her what he had seen and heard. She assured him that
Allah, the Exalted, would not allow anything terrible to happen to
him. During the next twenty-three years of his life, after being given
the prophethood, words were ‘put into his mouth’ in the same way,
and he uttered them. These words (verses) made an indelible
impression on his heart and mind, and as the volumes of the sacred
scripture (the noble Quran) grew, they were recorded on palm leaves,
on animal skins, and on the shoulder-blades of dead animals—as well
as in the hearts of his devoted disciples.
The words (revelation) were actually put into his mouth exactly as
foretold in the prophecy under discussion, “I will put my words in his
mouth.” (Deut. 18:18) In a similar quote, Jesus (pbuh) says of the
‘Paraclete’ who will come after him:
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the
truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever
he hears he will speak. (John 16:13)
As a scholar of comparative religions has said:
Neither the content of the revelation, nor its form, were of
Muhammad’s devising. Both were given by the angel, and
Muhammad’s task was only to repeat what he heard.59

Proof 5: Unlettered prophet.

Muhammad’s experience in the cave of Hira (later known as Jabal
an-Noor, the Mountain of Light) and his response to that first
revelation are the exact fulfilment of another Biblical prophecy. In
Isaiah 29:12, we read, “And when they give the book to one who
cannot read, saying, ‘Read this,’ he says, ‘I cannot read.’”

59 Parrinder, World Religions, 472.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 105

It is a well-known fact that Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) could not

read or write.60 He was described in the Quran as the unlettered
prophet.61 Allah has also said:

{Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a

revelation revealed, taught to him by one intense in strength.}
(Quran 53: 3-5)

Proof 6: Stammering lips.

The Book of Isaiah explicitly mentions, “For with stammering lips
and another tongue will he speak to this people.” (Isaiah 28:11, KJV)
This verse correctly describes the ‘stammering lips’ of Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) reflecting the state of tension and concentration,
as well as of unfamiliarity, that he experienced at the times when he
was receiving revelation.

Proof 7: Revealed in sections.

A related fact is that the Quran was revealed in sections over a
span of twenty-three years. It is interesting to compare this with Isaiah
28, which speaks of the same thing:
For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line,
line upon line, here a little, there a little. (Isaiah 28:10)

Proof 8: Name of God.

Deuteronomy 18:19 reads, “And whoever will not listen to my
words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.”

60 The wisdom behind this has been discussed in an earlier footnote.

61 {Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they
find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel... So believe
in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in
Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.}
(Quran 7: 157-158)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

106 Who deserves to be worshipped?

This prophecy in Deuteronomy mentions that this prophet will speak

the words of God, starting with the name of God. If we look at the
Quran, we will find that every chapter except Chapter 9 is preceded
by, or begins with, the phrase “In the name of God (Allah), Most
Gracious, Most Merciful.”
The very first passage of the Quran that was revealed to Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) reads:

{Recite in the name of your Lord Who created.} (Quran 96: 1)

Furthermore, Islam teaches people to start almost every action in

their daily lives with the words, “In the name of Allah, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful,” and this is in accordance with the teachings of
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh).
As mentioned earlier, the name ‘Allah’ is how Allah refers to
Himself in the Quran and how Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) always
referred to Him. To say, “In the name of Allah” is a far clearer
fulfilment of the prophecy “he shall speak in my name” than are other
common expressions such as “In the name of God” or “In the name of
the Father.”62

Other Biblical characteristics of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh)

An equally interesting and most revealing profile of Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) can be found in the 42nd chapter of the Book of
Isaiah. Let us examine some of the characteristics found there:

Proof 9: The “one in whom God’s soul delights” is called the

‘servant’ of God (42:1, 19), His ‘messenger’ (42:19) and His
‘chosen’ (42:1).

62 Referring to Allah (God) as ‘the Father’ is an example of the serious

distortions in the Bible. Allah has said about Himself:
{He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.}
(Quran 112: 3-4)


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 107

Translated into Arabic, these titles read: Abduhu, rasooluhu, and

al-mustafa. All the prophets were indeed slaves and elects of Allah,
yet no prophet in history has been universally called by these specific
titles, as Muhammad (bpuh) has been. The testimony of faith by
which a person enters into the fold of Islam reads, “I bear witness that
there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness
that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.”
Virtually the same formula is repeated five times a day during the
call to prayers, five times a day immediately before the beginning of
prayers, nine times a day during the minimum mandatory prayers, and
several more times if the Muslim performs additional recommended
prayers. The most common title used for Prophet Muhammad (bpuh),
from the beginning of his mission until today, is Rasool Allah (the
Messenger of Allah [bpuh]). The Quran has given him this title, and
during his lifetime, he was addressed as such by his followers. The
voluminous collections of hadiths have been narrated typically in
these forms: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (bpuh) say...” or “The
Messenger of Allah (bpuh) said...” He has been described in the
Quran as “Allah’s slave” and “Allah’s Messenger.”

Proof 10: He will not grow faint or be discouraged until “he has
established justice in the earth” (42:4), “he shows himself mighty
against his foes” (42:13), and he “bring[s] forth justice to the
nations” (42:1).
While comparing the lives and missions of Jesus (pbuh) and
Muhammad (bpuh), it is clear that this verse talks about Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh). On more than one occasion, Jesus expressed how
disappointed he was to be rejected by the Israelites. Also, Jesus was
not present long enough to prevail over his enemies (beyond the moral
victory, which is common to all prophets).
On the other hand, we find no trace of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh)
being discouraged, even in the most critical moments of his mission.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

108 Who deserves to be worshipped?

In the space of one year, his beloved and supportive wife, Khadeejah
(May Allah be pleased with her) died after twenty-five years of
successful marriage; his uncle Abu Talib, who was instrumental in
protecting him from the fury of the pagan Arabs (in Makkah) also
died. These two tragedies were combined with the fact that his
followers constituted only a small persecuted and tortured group.
Under such trying circumstances, Muhammad (bpuh) went to the city
of Taif to invite people to Islam and to seek their support in his
struggle against paganism. He was rejected, mocked, and stoned until
his knees and feet bled. In spite of all this, he was never “discouraged”
(to use the term from Isaiah 42:4).
When the angel of mountains offered him the chance to retaliate by
destroying their city, he refused, in the hope that some of the
descendants of these wicked people would worship Allah, and indeed,
they did!
After this bitter struggle, Muhammad (bpuh) “prevailed against his
enemies,” establishing a strong community of believers who indeed
brought “justice to the nations,”63 especially in the Persian and
Byzantine Empires. Many members of those nations were guided to
Islam, while others suffered defeats. As such, he was truly “a light for
the nations” and for the whole world as well.64

Proof 11: “He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it
heard in the street;” (42:2).
From the life history of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), it is known
that he was described by these characteristics. Also, the Quran teaches
these characteristics, saying:

{And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; indeed, the
most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys.} (Quran 31: 19)

63 See Isaiah 42:1.

64 See Isaiah 49:6.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 109

Proof 12: “The coastlands wait for his law” (42:4).

The only prophet who came after this prophecy (made in Isaiah’s
time) with a complete and comprehensive code of law was Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh). The law that was revealed to him spread to all
corners of the earth, even to the remote islands and the farthest
deserts. Jesus did not bring a new law, but Muhammad (bpuh) did.

Proof 13: “My [God’s] glory I give to no other” (42:8).

The greatest glory a person receives from God (Allah) is to be
entrusted as His messenger to humankind and receive His glorious
revelation. Not only did this apply to Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), but
it applied to him uniquely as the last and final messenger and prophet
of Allah. Truly, Allah’s glory (revelation of scriptures) was not given,
and will not be given, to any other prophet after Muhammad (bpuh);
he is the ‘seal’ of all prophets. After a letter or a message has been
written, folded and sealed, nothing further can be added to it. It has
been more than 1400 years since Muhammad (bpuh) was sent and the
Quran was revealed to him. Yet we hear of no genuine prophet having
the magnitude and influence on humanity to be compared with such
figures as Abraham (pbuh), Moses (pbuh), Jesus (pbuh), and
Muhammad (bpuh); nor do we hear about another post-Quranic glory
or holy book that has influenced humankind to such an extent.

Proof 14: A descendant of Ishmael (pbuh).

The person to come was connected with the Arabs, specifically
with the descendants of Ishmael (pbuh) who settled in Makkah and its
environs. Isaiah 42:11 leaves absolutely no doubt about the identity of
that prophet.
Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that
Kedar inhabits; let the habitants of Sela [the rock] sing for joy, let
them shout from the top of the mountains.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

110 Who deserves to be worshipped?

According to the Book of Genesis (25:13), Kedar was the second

son of Ishmael. The best of the prophets from Ishmael’s descendants
is Muhammad (bpuh). His enemies (of his own clan), who were
misled by their leaders, or “mighty men” (as described in Isaiah
21:17), ultimately embraced Islam and were embraced by it. Indeed,
they had reason to “lift up their voice,” to “sing” praise of God, and to
“shout from the top of the mountains.”
This “shouting” is chanted annually, by multitudes of Muslims
from all over the world, from Mount Arafah and other places as part
of the annual rites of Hajj (pilgrimage):
Here I am [at Your command], O Allah. Here I am. Here I am.
There is no partner with you [in our worship]. Here I am at Your
command. Verily, yours is the praise, the blessings and
sovereignty. There is no partner besides you [in our worship].

Proof 15: He will be sent “to open the eyes that are blind, to bring
out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit
in darkness.” (42:7)
Many of those who were opposed to the truth, and who fought
Muhammad (bpuh) bitterly, nevertheless ended up as the most devout
believers, with their blindness to the truth cured. Those who lived in
the darkness of an unholy life came to the light of truth through the
mission of Muhammad (bpuh).
No wonder the Quran describes itself as light manifest. Describing
the Quran, Allah has addressed Prophet Muhammad (bpuh):

{...[This is] a book which We have revealed to you [O Muhammad],

that you might bring humankind out of darknesses into the light by
permission of their Lord—to the path of the Exalted in Might, the
Praiseworthy.} (Quran 14: 1)

Proof 16: “Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of
the earth…” (42:10)


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 111

Another indication (other than the prophecy in Deuteronomy) is

that Isaiah ties the messenger connected with Kedar to “a new song”
to be sung to the Lord. (Isaiah 42:10-11) This new song may refer to a
new scripture in a language other than the language of the Israelite
scriptures. This interpretation seems consistent with a more explicit
mention of someone who will be speaking to people (including the
Israelites) in “a foreign tongue.” (Isaiah 28:11)
This explanation seems to fit closely with the verse that speaks of
the praise of God “from the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 24:16) Only in
the case of Islam do we find this prophecy realized in amazing
accuracy. In all corners of the earth, five times every day, the praise of
Allah and His last messenger, Muhammad (bpuh), is chanted from the
minarets of hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of mosques
around the world. Praising Abraham and his descendants, along with
Muhammad (bpuh) and his descendants, is a part of the five daily
obligatory prayers; in addition, millions of devout Muslims praise
Allah and Muhammad (bpuh) frequently throughout the day.
The 42nd chapter of Isaiah is indeed a fascinating one. It is not a
casual or ambiguous reference to the Messenger of Allah (bpuh), who
was to come centuries later. It is instead a comprehensive profile
fitting only one person: Prophet Muhammad (bpuh). After all, the
chapter relates this profile to Kedar, son of Ishmael, and no other
descendant of Ishmael fits this description except Muhammad (bpuh).

Proof 17: Riding the camel.

Prophet Isaiah (pbuh) prophesied the coming of two leaders, whom
he metaphorically called ‘chariots’, one riding a donkey and another
riding a camel. “And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a
chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened
diligently with much heed.” (Isaiah 21:7, KJV)
Who are the “couple of horsemen”?
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

112 Who deserves to be worshipped?

They are Jesus (pbuh) and Muhammad (bpuh). Let us examine the
proof:
Jesus fulfilled the riding of the donkey prophecy, which says, “And
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written.” (John
12:14)
The quote “just as it is written” is referring to Isaiah 21:7. It is
important to know that nowhere in the New Testament do we see
Jesus (pbuh) riding any camel. Nowhere in the New Testament do we
see any fulfilment of any kind about the prophecy of riding the camel.
When we look at Muhammad (bpuh), he rode camels many times
during his lifetime. Perhaps the most well-known incident is when he
migrated from Makkah to Madinah to escape the torture of the pagans.
When Muhammad (bpuh) rode into Madinah on his camel, the
members of each group/tribe wanted him to be in their own
neighbourhood. In order to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings, the
Prophet (bpuh) released the reins of his camel so that it could walk
freely, and then he let it settle at the location chosen by Allah. This
wisdom from Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) solved the problem.
Now, the open questions to any Jewish rabbi, or Christian priest or
minister, are as follows:
• Where in the Bible do we see the fulfilment of the prophecy
about riding the camel?
• In the Bible, who was the prophet who rode the camel, thus
fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 21:7? The New Testament
fulfils the riding of the donkey prophecy (of John 12:14), and it
claims that it fulfilled only that prophecy. There is still an
unfulfilled prophecy in the New Testament regarding riding
the camel.
• If Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was not the one who fulfilled
the remainder of the prophecy in Isaiah 21:7, then who was
that prophet?


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 113

These prophecies in the Old and New Testaments predict, in

unequivocal terms, the coming of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) and the
genuineness of his prophethood.

15.3 The location from which he was to emerge

Proof 18: Deuteronomy 33:1-2.
Deuteronomy 33:1-2 combines references to Moses (pbuh), Jesus
(pbuh), and Muhammad (bpuh). It speaks about God’s revelation
coming from Sinai, rising from Seir (probably the village of Sair near
Jerusalem) and shining forth from Paran. According to Genesis 21:21,
the wilderness of Paran was the place where Ishmael (pbuh) settled. In
other words, it was in Arabia, and specifically in Makkah.
Another sign of the prophet to come from Paran (Makkah) was that
he would come with “ten thousands of holy ones.” (Deuteronomy
33:2) That was the same number of faithful who accompanied Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) to Makkah in his victorious, bloodless return to
his birthplace to destroy the remaining symbols of idolatry in the
Kaaba. The text says, “he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came
from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire65 at his right
hand.”
According to Islamic history, the city of Makkah (Paran) was
liberated by Prophet Muhammad’s 10,000 troops.
If Muhammad (bpuh), who liberated the city of Paran with 10,000
believing men (“holy ones”), was not the one who fulfilled this
Biblical prophecy and ended the worship of the 365 gods (in the form
of idols), then who was that prophet? Is there another prophet who
marched upon Makkah with this exact same number of men? The
historical answer is: Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) is the only prophet
whom this prophecy fits perfectly.

65 The meaning of the Hebrew word used here is uncertain.

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

114 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Proof 19: Habakkuk 3:3.

Habakkuk 3:3 speaks of God (God’s help) coming from Teman (an
oasis north of Madinah, according to Hastings’ Dictionary of the
Bible),66 and the “Holy One” coming from Paran. That “Holy One”
who, under persecution, migrated from Paran (Makkah) to be received
enthusiastically in Madinah was none other than Prophet Muhammad
(bpuh).
Indeed, the incident of the migration of the Prophet (bpuh) and his
persecuted followers is vividly and prophetically described in Isaiah
21:13-17. That section foretold the battle of Badr as well, in which the
few ill-armed faithful miraculously defeated the “mighty men” of
Kedar, who sought to destroy Islam and intimidate their own folks
who had turned to Islam. The text reads:
The oracle concerning Arabia. In the thickets in Arabia you
will lodge, O caravans of Dedanites. To the thirsty bring
water; meet the fugitive with bread, O inhabitants of the land
of Tema. For they have fled from the swords, from the drawn
sword, from the bent bow, and from the press of battle. For
thus the Lord said to me, “Within a year, according to the
years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar will come to an
end. And the remainder of the archers of the mighty men of
the sons of Kedar will be few, for the LORD, the God of
Israel, has spoken.” (Isaiah 21:13-17)

15.4 The message to be revealed through him

The Bible foretells the story of revelation.

Proof 20: Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was illiterate.

66 Hastings, James, entry for ‘Tema’, Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible,

accessed May 8, 2017,
http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hdb/view.cgi?n=5416.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 115

Throughout his entire life, he never learned to read or write. The

exact circumstances of the first revelation have been mentioned: it was
the habit of Muhammad (bpuh) to frequently get away from the midst
of his fellow Arabs and their heathen ways and spend many days
secluded in the cave of Hira in the mountains of Makkah. There, he
would pray to Allah, the Exalted, according to the practice of
Abraham (pbuh). When he reached the age of forty (in 610 CE), the
angel Gabriel (pbuh) appeared before him in that cave one day and
ordered him to recite. Muhammad (bpuh), in his terror, thought he
was being asked to read, so he stammered that he was unlettered. The
angel Gabriel (pbuh) again ordered him to read, but Muhammad
(bpuh) again informed him that he was unlettered. The angel Gabriel
(pbuh) took hold of him firmly and commanded him, “Recite, in the
name of your Lord, Who created!” Now Muhammad (bpuh) began to
understand that he was not being asked to read, but to recite and to
repeat. He began to repeat after him, and Gabriel (pbuh) revealed to
him the first verses of the Quran that were revealed:

{Recite in the name of your Lord, Who created—created man from a

clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous—Who
taught by the pen—taught man that which he knew not.}
(Quran 96: 1-5)

As mentioned earlier, the actual word used by angel Gabriel (pbuh)

to address Muhammad (bpuh) was the Arabic word iqra, which means
to read, recite, or rehearse. It is derived from the Arabic root word
qara. However, if we were to go back to the original Hebrew form of
the verses of Isaiah 29:11, we would find that the actual word which is
translated into English as “Read this” is the Hebrew word qara [kaw-
raw]. Is it just an amazing coincidence that the Hebrew text used not
only a word with the same meaning, but the exact same word itself?
Isaiah 29:11-18 reads:
11 And the vision of all this has become to you like the
words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

116 Who deserves to be worshipped?

who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for

it is sealed.”
12 And when they give the book to one who cannot read,
saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”
13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with
their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their
hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a
commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with
this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of
their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their
discerning men shall be hidden.”
15 Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel,
whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us?
Who knows us?”
16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded
as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him
who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
17 Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be
turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be
regarded as a forest?
18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and
out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall
see.
Remember that when a statement in the earlier scriptures is found
also in the Quran, then this is proof of its validity. This is because if it
is confirmed by the later scripture, it is clearly a remnant of the
original revelation, which was not deleted or changed over time by
those who rewrote the Bible.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 117

15.5 Fulfilment of prophecies which he foretold

Proof 21: One may ask what criterion should be used to
distinguish a genuine prophet from a false prophet (who might
also presume to speak in the name of Allah)?
The answer to this question is clearly given in the concluding
verses of Chapter 18 of the Book of Deuteronomy:
And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word
that the LORD has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in
the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or
come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the
prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid
of him. (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)
Jesus (pbuh) is reported to have said about his successor, “He will
declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13)
It is a fact that not a single prophecy made by the Quran or by
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) has proved to be inaccurate in the least.
Every prophecy made about the near future during his time did come
to pass. Examples of these are:
▪ The prophecy that Muslims would conquer the two
‘superpowers’ of their time,67 the Persian and Byzantine
empires. This prophecy was made when Muslims were few
and weak, when to prophesy their mere physical survival
would have sounded too hopeful!
▪ Another prophecy was that Suraqah, a man who at one time
was about to kill Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), would become a
Muslim. Not only that he would become Muslim, but also that
he would help the Muslim army conquer the Persian Empire
and that he would have access to the Emperor’s crown, which
would be placed on his head! Not only did this prophecy

67 Found in the chapter titled “The Romans” (Quran 30: 2-5).

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

118 Who deserves to be worshipped?

appear to be a virtual impossibility when it was made, but it

was as if the Prophet (bpuh) was looking distinctly at a scene
that took place years after his death. The facts that Suraqah did
become a Muslim and lived long enough to participate in the
conquest of Persia, that the Muslims came out victorious, and
that Suraqah had access to the Emperor’s crown and actually
wore it, can hardly be regarded as coincidence or a self-
fulfilling prophecy.
Surely, it is no mere coincidence that so many of the prophecies
that were described by the Prophet (bpuh) have actually happened,
down to the last detail. (Some of the events that he foretold have not
occurred yet.) Nor could such accuracy in each and every prophecy
emanate from any individual other than a true and genuine prophet,
according to the criterion stipulated in Deuteronomy 18:21-22.

Proof 22: Test of prophethood.

Jesus (pbuh) himself provided a sort of ‘test’, if you will, for those
claiming prophethood:
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered
from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree
bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit... Thus
you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:16-20)
Anyone who applies this test to the teachings of Muhammad
(bpuh) will find in the last testament of Allah―the noble Quran―the
teachings which will bring to the world much-needed peace and
happiness.68
“The ultimate criterion of a true prophet is the moral character of
his teaching.”69

68 See Chapter 12: The Moral System in Islam.

69 Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 119

George Bernard Shaw said of Muhammad (bpuh):

I believe that if a man like him were to assume the
dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving
its problems, and that would bring it the much needed peace
and happiness.70

15.6 The time when he was to appear

Proof 23: God’s promise to make Ishmael (pbuh) a great nation.
It is well-known that from the descendants of Ishmael (pbuh) came
the last great prophet of monotheism, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh),
whose followers constitute a great nation that makes up nearly one-
fifth of the total world population in all corners of the earth today.
“And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also,
because he is your offspring.” (Genesis 21:13)
Genesis 21:18 says about Ishmael (pbuh), “I will make him into a
great nation.”
In Matthew 21:19-21, Jesus (pbuh) cursed a fruitless fig tree (a
biblical symbol of the prophets’ heritage), which immediately
withered and died. In a later verse in the same chapter, Jesus (pbuh)
said, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away
from you and given to a people producing its fruits.” (Matthew 21:43)
That nation is made up of Ishmael’s descendants (the rejected stone in
Matthew 21:42).71 It was victorious against all the superpowers of its
time, as prophesied by Jesus (pbuh) when he said, “And the one who
falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on
anyone, it will crush him.” (Matthew 21:44)

70 Shaw, The Genuine Islam, 1:8.

71 “...The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...”
(Matthew 21:42)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

120 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Moreover, in the Old Testament, Genesis 12:1-3, it can be found

that God Almighty promised to create “a great nation” from Ishmael
(pbuh), Abraham’s first son and the forefather of the Muslims:
Now the LORD said to Abram [Abraham], “Go from your
country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land
that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you
will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him
who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of
the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
The quote “go... to the land that I will show you” is referring to the
city of Paran (Makkah). The quote “I will make of you a great nation”
is quite interesting; it describes perfectly the followers of Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh), namely the Muslims.
As you probably know, Muslims worship Allah Almighty by
prostrating to Him. Every time they pray and prostrate, they end their
prayer by sitting on their knees and saying the following exact quote
(translated from Arabic), “...and bless Prophet Muhammad and the
family of Prophet Muhammad, as You have blessed Prophet Abraham
and the family of Prophet Abraham...”
As can be clearly seen, Muslims bless Prophet Abraham (pbuh)
every single day of their lives when praying to Allah Almighty. They
also say, “peace be upon him” or “peace and blessings be upon him”
when they mention his name or any other prophet’s name.
Yes, the Muslims are the “great nation” that Allah Almighty has
talked about; they are blessed by Him because they worship none but
Him, and they bless Abraham (pbuh) every day (no fewer than nine
times) in their prayers.

Proof 24: According to the Gospel of John, the Jews were waiting
for the fulfilment of three distinct prophecies.


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 121

The first was the coming of Christ. The second was the coming of
Elijah. The third was the coming of the prophet. This is obvious from
the three questions that were posed to John the Baptist.
And 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.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he
answered, “No.” (John 1:19-21)
If one looks in a Bible with cross-references,72 he or she will find,
in the marginal notes where the words “the Prophet” occur in John
1:21, that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15
and 18:18 (about raising up a prophet from their brothers). It can be
concluded from this that Muhammad (bpuh) is the prophet mentioned
there, because he is the only prophet who came after Prophet Jesus
(pbuh). Furthermore, it is obvious that the Jews and John knew that
“the Prophet” and the Christ were two different persons, since each
was referred to by a separate question.

Proof 25: John 16:7.

Jesus (pbuh) is reported to have said:
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I
go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to
you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)
Some Bible commentaries explain that the term ‘Helper’ (which is
sometimes translated as ‘Comforter’ or ‘Advocate’) refers to the Holy
Spirit. This would not make sense because—according to the
Gospels—the Holy Spirit was already present in the world, prior to
Jesus’ birth as well as during his ministry. Luke 3:22 has mentioned
that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus (pbuh) in the shape of a dove.

72 Nowadays, we can do this easily online.

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

122 Who deserves to be worshipped?

However, this verse (John 16:7) implies that the “Helper” is yet to
come and cannot come until Jesus leaves the earth.

15.7 The unique proof

Proof 26: One of the proofs that Muhammad (bpuh) was the prophet
mentioned in the Bible is that the message he came with has reached
across the East and the West, and his community now extends all over
the world, something which would not have occurred if he had not
been a prophet.

15.8 The lack of warnings from previous prophets

Proof 27: Had Muhammad (bpuh) not been the mentioned prophet,
then the prophets who came before him, especially Moses (pbuh) and
Jesus (pbuh), would have done two things: first, they would have
mentioned whom they referred to exactly, and second, they would
have warned their peoples vehemently about Muhammad (bpuh) ̶ and
we would have seen this in their scriptures. All the prophets warned
about false prophets and cautioned their people about following them
and being guided by them. For example, the previous prophets
mentioned the Antichrist by name, and even Noah (pbuh), who was
the first messenger, warned his people about him. However, none of
the prophets warned about Muhammad (bpuh). In fact, quite the
contrary; Jesus gave good tidings of Muhammad (bpuh), praised him,
ordered people to follow him, and forbade them from opposing or
disobeying him.

15.9 The consistency between Muhammad’s and

Jesus’ teachings
Proof 28: One important proof that Muhammad (bpuh) is the prophet
foretold in the Biblical references is the absolute consistency between
the original (undistorted) teaching with which Jesus and other


 The amazing prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the Bible 123

prophets were sent and those with which Muhammad (bpuh) came. To
clarify, these are: calling to monotheism, glorifying Allah in His
supreme attributes, believing in the Oneness of Allah in His essence,
forbidding people from ascribing any of Allah’s attributes to him, and
many others.73 This is not a surprise, because every prophet revived
the basic beliefs that had been distorted over time after the departure
of the preceding prophet. Islam, being the final message, revived the
basic beliefs and practices of all the previous messages, including the
message of Jesus (pbuh). It clarified it and removed the
misconceptions which had become attached to the pure creed with
which Jesus was sent, so that people would find it clear and
straightforward to follow.
As the well-known scholar and commentator on the Quran, Abdur-
Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sadi, wrote:
If Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was not a true prophet, then
his message would have contradicted the common message
of Jesus and other prophets before him. Instead, it revived it
and re-instated it.
It should now be clear that the Biblical prophecies speak of none
other than Muhammad (bpuh). Many thanks to Allah, Who made the
path clear for us. It is interesting to note that in the year 571 CE,
Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled. Muhammad (bpuh) was born into a
community of Ishmaelite Arabs who had become polytheists and
idolaters; when he reached maturity and was given revelation, Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) started preaching his message of the worship of
Allah alone.
In the year 632 CE, he died and left this world; however, his bright
message will remain with people until the end of this world.

73 See Chapter 17: Islam’s Revival of the Basic Teachings of Jesus (pbuh).
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

124 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Being a true follower of Jesus (pbuh) must involve more than lip
service, wherein one merely says that he or she follows or loves Jesus
(pbuh) in order to attain paradise and be saved from hellfire, and that
is it. True followers of Christ should accept his prophecy about
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) and follow his teachings of ‘Islam’,
meaning complete and devoted submission to the One and Only God:
Allah.
Note: Not only did Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) vouch for Jesus’
and Moses’ prophethood, but he also testified to the prophethood of
all the true prophets who had been sent before him. He neither denied
any of them nor fabricated anything about them. This was unlike what
the reigning kings usually do against the kings who have reigned
before them. Had Muhammad (bpuh) been a liar or a fabricator of his
message (Islam), he would have not spoken of their truthfulness or
praised them the way he actually did. He would have lied about them,
as was the practice of the enemies of God’s messengers throughout
history!
Indeed, God Almighty has mentioned this very fact about Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) in the Quran:

{Rather, the Prophet has come with the truth and confirmed the
[previous] messengers.} (Quran 37: 37)


16. THE FACTS ABOUT ORIGINAL SIN74

20 Arguments regarding the doctrine of original sin

Background

According to the explanation of this doctrine, Adam sinned when

he disobeyed Allah, the Exalted, by eating from the forbidden
tree. According to Christian theology,75 the following eight doctrines
branch off from the principle of original sin:
1. All of Adam’s descendants inherit his sin, which means that
all human beings (with the exception of Mary) are born with
this original sin on their account.
2. For God’s justice to be achieved, a price must be paid as a
penalty for every sin that has been committed, in order for
that sin to be wiped out and for the individual to be forgiven.
3. The only way to wipe out sin is to shed blood; according to
Paul, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness
of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22)
4. This blood must be perfect, sinless, and incorruptible.
5. Jesus (pbuh) alone can pay the infinite price of sin because
his blood is perfect, sinless, and incorruptible, and he is the
(alleged) son of God, the infinite God.

74 Compiled from Caraballo, My Great Love for Jesus Led Me to Islam.

75 This section is based on the view of original sin and atonement as
generally understood by Roman Catholics and Protestants. It must be
noted that some Christians have other views; the Eastern Orthodox
churches in particular do not teach that all of humankind inherited the
guilt of Adam’s sin. A detailed discussion of the various beliefs is
beyond the scope of this book.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

126 Who deserves to be worshipped?

6. Jesus shed his holy sinless blood, suffered indescribable

agony, and died to pay for the sins of people. This concept is
known as ‘atonement’.
7. No one can be saved (attain salvation) without accepting
Jesus Christ as his or her redeemer. In other words, salvation
is restricted to those who believe that Jesus was willingly
crucified, died on the cross, and shed his blood as a price of
that sin. Acceptance of this doctrine is the only way to attain
‘salvation’.
8. Otherwise, everyone is condemned to suffer eternally in hell
because of his or her sinful nature and the sin originally
inherited from the father of humankind, Adam.
The doctrine of original sin can be divided into six distinct parts:
1. The existence of original sin.
2. Humanity’s inheritance of the original sin.
3. God’s justice requires a ‘blood penalty’ for the original sin.
4. Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of all humankind.
5. The rationality of the “God’s sacrifice” dogma.
6. Salvation (from original and other sins) is only for those
who believe in this vicarious sacrifice.

Analysis
Arguments against the six parts of the dogma of original sin are as
follows:
Argument against the first part: The existence of original sin.
1. There is no conflict between the Quranic verses and Christian
theology with reference to the fact that Adam committed a sin
when he ate from the forbidden tree. However, Allah has
mentioned in the Quran that Prophet Adam repented after that
and submitted himself completely to his Lord; consequently,


 The facts about original sin 127

Allah forgave him for the sin he had committed. This is a

tenet of Islamic belief and has been mentioned in three
different chapters in the Quran (in verses 2: 37, 7: 24 and 20:
122). Based on Adam’s repentance and Allah’s acceptance of
his repentance, the sin of Adam (pbuh) was not inherited by
his children; hence, it did not require the suffering and death
of Jesus Christ (or of anyone else) in order to be forgiven.
Argument against the second part: Humanity’s inheritance of
the original sin.
2. The doctrine of inherited sin has no support from the
teachings of Jesus.
3. The doctrine of inherited sin has no support in the words of
the prophets who came either before or after Jesus. If it was
required by God, then they would have told their people about
it and taught them to believe in it, because all prophets were
sent to guide people towards paradise and ward them away
from sins and hellfire. If it were true, why would they all have
hidden this important concept from their people?
4. Indeed, Jesus himself regarded children as innocent and pure,
not born in sin. This is clear from his reported saying:
Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to
such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a
child shall not enter it. (Mark 10:14-15)
5. The doctrine of inherited sin implies that all the people who
came after Adam but before Jesus were born with original sin
and died with it on their account; hence, all of them will be
cast into hellfire because they did not even know of this
dogma, and thus could not profess it! And if that were true,
what would have been the purpose of all the prophets who
came before Jesus?
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

128 Who deserves to be worshipped?

6. All the prophets taught that every human being is accountable

for his or her own sins, so children will not be punished for
the sins of their fathers. Allah has mentioned in the Quran:

{That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.}

(Quran 53: 38)

{Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained.}

(Quran 74: 38)

7. Sin is not inherited; it is something that people acquire for

themselves by doing what they should not do or by refraining
from doing what they should do. Considered rationally, it
would be the height of injustice to condemn the entire human
race for a sin committed thousands of years ago by the first
parents. Sin is a wilful transgression of the law of Allah. The
responsibility or blame for it must lie only with the person
committing it, not with his or her descendants. It is the height
of misanthropy to even consider such a thing. Imagine how
unreasonable and hard-hearted a person could become by
believing that every baby is sinful at birth!
8. Saying that the original sin committed by our father, Adam
(pbuh), was inherited by all of humanity goes against the
quality of mercy which Allah attributes to Himself. It is clear
that the creed of the inheritance of original sin has no place
whatsoever in Islamic teachings.
Argument against the third part: God’s justice requires a ‘blood
penalty’ for the original sin.
The third part of the original sin doctrine says that God’s justice
requires that a price be paid for the sins of humankind (original sin
and otherwise) and that if God were to pardon (forgive) a sinner
without punishment, it would be a denial of His justice.
The response to that has two points:


 The facts about original sin 129

9. This view reflects complete ignorance of two of Allah’s

attributes, namely mercy and forgiveness. To elaborate, if
Allah finds some real good in you and sees that you are
sincerely repentant, having a genuine urge to conquer the evil
within you, then Almighty Allah will forgive your failings
and sins, out of His loving mercy and forgiveness.
10. The God Whom we worship (Allah) is the Most Strong and
Most Rich; no one can harm Him. Consequently, if He
prescribes a law and demands obedience, then it is not for His
own benefit that we abide by it; it is for the benefit of
humankind. If we disobey Him, we are the losers, not Allah.
If He punishes a person before death for his or her faults and
sins, it is not for His own satisfaction or compensation but in
order to keep evil in check and to purify/reform the sinner, out
of His mercy. Bearing these facts in mind, it is not valid to
claim that Allah’s justice requires that a price be paid for the
sins of others.
Argument against the fourth part: Jesus died on the cross to pay
for the sins of all humankind.
The fourth part of the original sin doctrine says that Jesus (pbuh) paid
the penalty for all sins (original sin and any others) by sacrificing his
blood on the cross of Calvary. The response to this proposition has ten
points (numbered 11-20):
11. The Christian concept of salvation has no basis in the words
of Jesus (pbuh). It is not historically correct to say that Jesus
(pbuh) had come to die willingly and deliberately for the sins
of all humanity. In reality, the present form of the Bible
testifies that he did not wish to die on the cross.76

76 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this
cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

130 Who deserves to be worshipped?

12. Indeed, the Bible points to the fact that God (Allah), not Jesus
(pbuh), is the ultimate saviour:
...That you may know and believe me and understand that I
am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any
after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.
(Isaiah 43:10-11)
13. To punish an innocent man (Jesus) for the sins of others is the
height of injustice, harshness, and lack of mercy, and these
traits cannot be attributed to the Almighty.
14. Rationally, we cannot accept that the suffering and death of
one man can wipe out the sins of others (because there is no
logical connection or relationship between them). It is similar
to a father, for example, removing one of his good teeth to
relieve the pain of his child’s bad tooth. Hence, the idea of the
crucifixion is false and illogical.
15. Jesus (like all the other prophets) was sent to convey a
message and to be an example for his followers during his
time on the earth. He was not sent to deliberately die for them
on the cross or to offer his blood to absolve their sins.
16. Allah has mentioned in the Quran that He is the Most
Merciful and Most Compassionate; He forgives sinners, no
matter how many and how evil their sins, once they repent.
According to His will, mercy, and favour, He may even
forgive sinners who do not repent.
17. The concept of atonement is false because it indirectly
encourages people to sin, assuming that their sins will be
wiped out through someone else once they believe in him!
Furthermore, if someone dies for another person’s sins, what
is the point of adhering to good and forbidding evil?


 The facts about original sin 131

Reading through the crucifixion story dispassionately, an

unbiased reader will surely feel in his or her heart that it is hard to
understand ̶ and consequently difficult to believe!
Was there no way for Jesus to achieve salvation for human
beings (assuming that salvation was actually needed) other than this
severe way? He could have prayed to Allah to forgive the people from
the sin they inherited (assuming that the notion of inherited sin was
true). God is the Most Compassionate; surely if Jesus was His son, He
would have forgiven them in reply to His son’s prayers! And if Jesus
himself was God, he could have absolved them himself.
In fact, it is not appropriate for God to be crucified. The Old
Testament, and thus the law of Moses, says that a man who is
crucified is “cursed by God”; it forbids leaving his body overnight
because it would “defile” the land. How can God be cursed? How can
he curse Himself?
And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and
he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall
not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the
same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not
defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an
inheritance. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)77

77 “Hanging on a tree” also refers to crucifixion, as indicated in the

following verses from the New Testament:
• The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging
him on a tree. (Acts 5:30)
• And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the
Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a
tree. (Acts 10:39)
• And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took
him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. (Acts 13:29)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

132 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Paul confirmed this curse but claimed that Jesus (pbuh) had to be
crucified – and had to bear the curse of God – in order to redeem
human beings from such a punishment.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a
curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is
hanged on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)78
In other words, the only way justice could be carried out was for
Jesus to substitute himself for human beings, to give his life and be
cursed… as if God could not bring about justice by any means other
than this severe and harsh way.
Argument against the fifth part: The rationality of the “God’s
sacrifice” dogma.
18. Christian doctrine states that Jesus (pbuh) was crucified by the
administration of the Roman governor of Jerusalem, Pontius
Pilate, with the cooperation of certain Jewish leaders.79

78 This letter from Paul to the Galatians, a community of Gallic Christians

in what is now Central Turkey, is one of the earliest writings in the New
Testament. Early Christians who came from Jewish backgrounds thought
that the laws that God gave to Moses (as recorded in the Old Testament)
also applied to non-Jewish converts, but these converts objected to some
of them, in particular circumcision (for males). Paul taught that if they
had faith, they did not have to obey the law of Moses; in other words, he
gave them permission to ignore the Old Testament laws. Much
controversy erupted, with some church officials arguing that Paul (who
had not been an apostle of Jesus, and in fact had never met him) was an
impostor who was not qualified to be a leader of the church. Paul replied
that he had been appointed by Jesus (when he saw him in a vision on the
road to Damascus, after Jesus had left this earth).
For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was
preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from
any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of
Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11-12)
79 Harrington, “Who Killed Jesus?”


 The facts about original sin 133

However, the Quran has explained that Jesus did not die;
rather, Allah raised him when they attempted to kill him.
Allah replaced him with another person who resembled him,
and it was this other person who was killed. To this day,
Christians believe that Jesus himself was the one who was
killed on the cross, but Allah has mentioned in the Quran:

{And [for] their saying: Indeed, we have killed the Messiah,

Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. And they did
not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made
to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it
are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the
following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for
certain. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is
Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.} (Quran 4: 157-158)

19. Here is another proof that Jesus was not killed. Islamic
teachings clearly foretell the second coming of Jesus before
the final hour; this is an additional and final miracle for Jesus.
He will return not as God, as the Christians believe, but as
Jesus, Allah’s messenger and slave, as he has always been.
One of the purposes of his coming will be to correct the
misconceptions surrounding his message and mission. Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) said that he will stay forty years, and these
will be the happiest years of life on this earth. During that
time, those who had misconceptions about him will correct
their understanding and believe in him as a messenger, not as
the son of God (Allah).
«It was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with
him) that the Messenger of Allah (bpuh) said:
By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it will not be long
before the son of Mary descends amongst you, a just judge
and ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine, and abolish
the tax paid by Jews and Christians. Money will be so
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

134 Who deserves to be worshipped?

plentiful that no one will accept it. At that time, a single

prostration will be better than this world and everything in it.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) then said:
Read if you wish (the following verse of the Quran):

{And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that
he will surely believe in Jesus before his death. And on the
Day of Resurrection he will be against them a witness.}
(Quran 4: 159)» (Recorded by Bukhari)

This ends the answer to the fifth part of the doctrine.

Argument against the sixth part: Salvation (from original and
other sins) is only for those who believe in this vicarious sacrifice.
20. The Bible itself contradicts the notion of original sin. In this
regard, the Bible says about the dispute concerning original
sin:
He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will
receive his wages according to his labor. (I Corinthians 3:8)
It also says:
The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the
father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of
the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the
wicked shall be upon himself. (Ezekiel 18:20)

Original sin and atonement from an Islamic perspective

Islam declares that:
• People cannot transfer their responsibilities to saviours or
saints. Each person’s redemption and salvation depends upon
his or her own deeds.
• Forgiveness of sins (salvation) can only be attained through
repentance to Allah and sincere and persistent efforts to fight
off evil and do good. Allah forgives the faults and sins of


 The facts about original sin 135

those in whom He sees real goodness, and of those who have

turned away from their sins and reformed themselves,
without punishing them or any other person on their behalf.
In numerous verses in the Quran and statements of Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh), it is mentioned that those who repent are granted
forgiveness from sins; furthermore, their sins are replaced with an
equivalent reward.

{…And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.}
(Quran 2: 112)

In many verses of the noble Quran, Allah Almighty calls on people

to repent sincerely.

{[O Muhammad,] inform My slaves that it is I Who am the Forgiving,

the Merciful, and that it is My punishment which is the painful
punishment.} (Quran 15: 49-50)

Here, Allah is inviting the sinners to repent, and He will forgive

them regardless of the magnitude of their sins. At the same time, He is
warning those who do not repent that no punishment can be compared
to His punishment. He has also said:

{Say: O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves [by

sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives
all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And return
[in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment
comes upon you; then you will not be helped.} (Quran 39: 53-54)

See how beautifully, soundly, and logically the Book of Allah, the
Quran, addresses the issues of sinning and atonement. It must be noted
that Islam confirms that the Islamic approach to the subject was
revealed in all the divine messages, including the message of Jesus
Christ. May peace and blessings be upon him and all the prophets!
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

136 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Conclusion
By maintaining the concept of original sin, the entire notion of
justice in Christian theology becomes flawed. An analysis of the six
tenets of this doctrine, along with the arguments against them, proves
that the whole structure of the principle of original sin and atonement
is false, for it has no support either in the revealed scriptures or in
logic; rather, it is clearly a man-made dogma developed in the
Christian Church.


17. ISLAM’S REVIVAL OF THE BASIC
TEACHINGS OF JESUS80

Introduction

Allworship
prophets were sent with the same message: monotheism in the
of Allah, the Exalted, and testifying to the supremacy of
His attributes as well as the Oneness of His essence. However, their
messages may differ in terms of legislation (Sharia), for instance,
regarding the manner of performing prayers, fasting, types of charity,
and so on. This depends upon each nation’s characteristics, according
to Allah’s wisdom, for He knows His creatures better than they know
themselves.
Every prophet revived the basic beliefs that had been distorted
since the departure of the preceding prophet. Islam, being the final
message, revived the basic beliefs and practices of all the previous
messages, including the message of Jesus. It elaborated them so that
people would find them clear and straightforward to follow.
The following are some basic teachings of Prophet Jesus (pbuh)
that were later revived in the message of Islam:

17.1 Revival of the creed of Allah’s Oneness of

essence
This fundamental principle was taught by Jesus (pbuh), as quoted
below, but later abandoned by most Christians. It was revived by the
message of Islam. All praise and thanks are for Allah for His
guidance.

80 Compiled from Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ and Caraballo,
My Great Love for Jesus Led Me to Islam.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

138 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Here are fourteen proofs from the Bible and rational thought
regarding Allah’s Oneness in His essence, negating the doctrine of the
Trinity:
1. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
(Deuteronomy 6:4)
2. ...that you may know and believe me and understand that I am
he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after
me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. (Isaiah
43:10-11)
3. I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? (Isaiah 44:6-7)
4. And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a
Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved…
To me every knee shall bow. (Isaiah 45:21-23)
5. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.81 (John 17:3)
6. Worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.
(Matthew 4:10)
7. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Mark
12:29)
8. I am the LORD, and there is no other. I did not speak in
secret, in a land of darkness… I the LORD speak the truth; I
declare what is right. (Isaiah 45:18-19)
9. An additional important proof from the Bible that God
(Allah), Jesus (pbuh), and the Holy Spirit are each distinct in
their essence: the Bible (the Old and New Testaments) does
not state anywhere that Allah, Jesus and the Holy Spirit
comprise one entity called God, or one of three. This notion is

81 This verse indicates very clearly the distinction between Allah as God
and Jesus as a prophet.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 139

merely a product of man-made, illogical, pagan thinking

which people have blindly inherited from their parents and
grandparents throughout the ages and generations, without
any rational assessment or validation.
10. The following biblical verses, referring to God (Allah),
contradict the creed of the Trinity in an indirect way:
• His voice you have never heard, his form you have never
seen. (John 5:37)
• ...whom no one has ever seen or can see. (1Timothy 6:16)
• ...you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and
live. (Exodus 33:20)
According to these biblical verses, no one can see or hear
God, yet according to Christian belief, God is supposed to be
Jesus (pbuh). If that were the case, these verses would make
no sense because Jesus’ family and followers, the Jews, and
many other contemporaries saw and heard him during his
lifetime. Obviously, these verses cannot be talking about
Jesus, so they must be referring to someone else: God (Allah),
the Highest, Whom no one can see or hear.
11. It is curious, too, that Jesus himself never mentioned the
Trinity. He never said anything about divine entities forming a
trinity. If there were a trinity, he would have explained it very
clearly to his people because prophets came to convey the
truth, not to hide it.
12. Jesus’ concept of Allah was no different from that of all the
previous prophets. All of them preached the Oneness of Allah
instead of the concept of a ‘Trinity’. Jesus taught the same
monotheistic, unitarian message that had been revealed to all
the prophets who came before him.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

140 Who deserves to be worshipped?

13. The doctrine of Trinity is irrational because nothing that

comes out of Allah or is created by Him can become His
equal or partner.
14. The Quran rejects the concept of the Trinity as strongly as it
rejects the idea that Allah has a son. Allah has informed us
that He is One, and this is a fundamental tenet of all the
revelations. Three, by reason and by simple arithmetic, cannot
be one. The Quran has addressed Christians on this subject:

{O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your

religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah,
Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His
word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a
command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His
messengers. And do not say: Three; desist—it is better for
you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having
a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and
whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer
of affairs.} (Quran 4: 171)

Islam revived the concept of Allah’s Oneness in essence, and this

is very different from Jesus’ essence. It absolutely negated the
doctrine of sonship (that Jesus is the son of God and, as such, is both
human and divine) and the doctrine which states that Allah is Jesus
(pbuh). Allah has said:

{They have certainly disbelieved who say: Allah is the Messiah, the
son of Mary…} (Quran 5: 72)

He has also said in the noble Quran:

{Say: He is Allah, [Who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He

neither begets, nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.}
(Quran 112: 1-4)


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 141

Allah is the most rich; He has no need for a son or a wife. That
would be illogical, because He created both, as well as everything else
in this universe. To believe that Jesus is the son of God, we have to
close our hearts, twist our minds backwards, and blindly follow what
the religious leaders and community members say, without any
discussion or logical analysis.

17.2 Revival of Allah’s supremacy in terms of His

attributes and qualities
Allah has multiple and supreme attributes. He is the Most Gracious
and Most Merciful. He was praised in all the revealed books and
through the words of all His prophets. According to the Bible, Jesus
(pbuh) taught that Allah is supreme in His attributes.
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good
deed must I do to have eternal life?”
And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good?
There is only one [i.e., God] who is good. (Matthew 19:16-17)
He denied the attribution of ‘infinite goodness’ or ‘perfect goodness’
to himself, affirming that this attribute belongs to Allah alone.
In Isaiah (44:6-7, RSV), it has been reported that God (Allah) says,
“I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is
like Me?”
Islam effectively revived this basic concept. Numerous verses in
the Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) affirm that
Allah:
▪ Has no partners or equals.
▪ Is ‘invisible’ because He is over His throne, and over the heavens,
and no one can see Him in this life.
▪ Is not physically manifested or incarnated in other forms.
▪ Is eternal; He does not die.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

142 Who deserves to be worshipped?

▪ Begets not, nor is He begotten; He does not need anyone like a

mother, a wife, or a son.
▪ Has no partners in His Godhead.
▪ Is self-sufficient; everyone depends upon Him and needs Him, but
He neither depends upon anyone nor needs anything (such as
food, drink, or help). For example, Allah has said in the Quran:

{…There is nothing like unto Him…} (Quran 42: 11)

{So do not assert similarities to Allah. Indeed, Allah knows, and

you do not know.} (Quran 16: 74)

{…and for Allah is the highest attribute. And He is Exalted in

Might, the Wise.} (Quran 16: 60)

This basic component of belief (that Allah deserves the best names
and attributes) has been emphasized repeatedly in the noble Quran.
This is evident to the reader of the Quran, who finds that numerous
Quranic verses end with a reference to a divine attribute, such as {the
All-Hearing, All-Seeing}, {the Most Forgiving, the All-
Compassionate}, and {the Most High, the Most Great}.

17.3 Revival of the doctrine of monotheism (worship

of Allah alone)
As mentioned earlier, the call to believe in Allah alone (monotheism),
without any intermediary, was the message of all the prophets;
therefore, any acts of worship must be directed to Allah alone.
Because of the persisting deviation in this doctrine, it has had to be
reaffirmed by all the prophets of Allah throughout the ages. The
monotheistic message of Islam simply tells people that they should
worship Allah only and that they should not worship anyone or
anything other than Allah in any way, shape or form.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 143

However, Christians now call upon (supplicate to) Jesus (and

others) besides Allah. Moreover, they direct all types of worship to
Jesus. Associating others with Allah is nothing but polytheism.
Surprisingly, although the text of the Bible has been altered
significantly, it still contains evidence that Jesus called others towards
monotheism:
▪ In Luke 4:5-7, the devil asked Jesus to worship him, promising
him the authority and glory of all the kingdoms of this world.
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the
Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” (Luke 4:8)
▪ And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a
Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to Me and be saved…
To Me every knee shall bow. (Isaiah 45:21-23)
▪ Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am
God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:22)
▪ You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you
serve. (Matthew 4:10)
▪ In the Bible, the true God emphatically testifies:
I am the LORD, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret,
in a land of darkness… I the LORD speak the truth; I declare
what is right. (Isaiah 45:18-19)
Thus, the essence of the message of Jesus was that only Allah
deserves to be worshipped; thus, worship directed to anyone or
anything besides or along with Him is false. It is important to note that
worshipping others besides God is a major alteration of Jesus’
message because the Bible never reported that Jesus (pbuh) wanted
anyone to worship him, either directly or indirectly through idols such
as a statue of him or a cross.
After Jesus departed this world, the call to monotheism became
distorted by later followers, beginning with Paul, who turned that pure
and simple message into a complicated Trinitarian philosophy which
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

144 Who deserves to be worshipped?

justified the worship of Jesus, followed by what some consider to be

worship of Jesus’ mother, Mary, the angels, and the saints. Catholics,
for example, have a long list of saints to whom they turn in times of
need.
Worshipping others besides Allah is irrational and in vain because
neither the living nor the dead can answer the prayers (supplications)
of humankind. The worship of Allah should not be shared with His
creation, because they are people just like us; they are not the creators.
They are merely weak creatures like us; they need food, drink, shelter,
and help, and after their death (or ascension, in the case of Jesus), they
cannot even hear the ones who call them!
Islam revived the doctrine of monotheism. For example, Allah has
mentioned in the Quran:

{They have certainly disbelieved who say: Allah is the Messiah, the
son of Mary, while the Messiah has said: O Children of Israel,
worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, he who associates
others with Allah—Allah has forbidden him paradise, and his abode is
the fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.}
(Quran 5: 72)

{Indeed, those you [polytheists] call upon besides Allah are slaves
like you...} (Quran 7: 194)

{…Is there a deity with Allah? High is Allah above whatever they
associate with Him.} (Quran 27: 63)

{…Is there a deity with Allah? Say: Produce your proof, if you should
be truthful.} (Quran 27: 64)

{And I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me.}
(Quran 51: 56)

All other supposed gods and deities whom people worship and call
upon, such as Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Brahma, Shiva, Krishna, or


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 145

Buddha are not gods; nor are they manifestations of the one true God
(Allah).
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said:
«Supplication is an essential act of worship.»
(An authentic hadith narrated by Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood)
Consequently, if a person claims to be a Muslim but prays to a
prophet (including Muhammad), saint, statue, or anything else, then
he or she has stepped out of the bounds of Islam.

17.4 Revival of the creed of Jesus’ prophethood

Nine Biblical proofs of Jesus’ prophethood
There are many verses in the New Testament which affirm Jesus’
prophethood and not divinity.
1. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom you have sent.82 (John 17:3)
2. The people of his time are recorded as referring to Jesus as a
prophet. “And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from
Nazareth of Galilee.’” (Matthew 21:11)
3. Jesus referred to himself as a prophet. “And Jesus said to them, ‘A
prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown and
among his relatives and in his own household.’” (Mark 6:4)
4. In the previous verses, Jesus is referred to as having been sent as a
messenger. In Matthew 10:40, Jesus was purported to have said,
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me
receives him who sent me.”
5. It is narrated that Jesus also said:

82 This verse indicates very clearly the distinction between God, the deity,
and Jesus, the prophet. See also John 4:34, 5:30, 7:16, 7:28, 11:42, 13:16
and 14:24.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

146 Who deserves to be worshipped?

I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment

is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who
sent me. (John 5:30)
6. Jesus was also reported to have been referred to as a ‘teacher’,
which is the role of all the prophets.
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good
deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16)
7. In Matthew 19:17, Jesus responded to the one who addressed him
as “Teacher”, saying, “Why do you ask me about what is good?
There is only one [i.e., God] who is good.” Jesus here rejects being
called ‘good’ and states that only God is truly good; he clearly
implies that he is not God. Also, Jesus here rejects being called
‘perfectly good’ because perfection belongs only to God (Allah).
8. In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus stated:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say
to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot,
will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
9. In Matthew 5:19, Jesus Christ, in accordance with the role of any
prophet, was reported to have insisted on strict obedience to the
commandments of Allah:
Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these
commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called
least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and
teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

17.5 Revival of the doctrine of Jesus’ humanness

No evidence in the Bible for the divinity of Jesus

(pbuh)


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 147

Nowhere in the Gospels was Jesus reported to have called himself

‘God’ or one of three. If this were the case, then it would have been
mentioned very clearly in the Bible at least once because Jesus—like
all other prophets—was sent to enlighten his people about the truth
and to clear up doubts, not to confuse them further.
Indeed, the Bible in its present form points to Jesus’ humanness in
many verses, such as these from the Gospel of John:
but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth
that I heard from God... (John 8:40)
So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of
Man, then you will know that I am he...” (John 8:28)83
Even in some of the writings of Paul, which the Church considers
sacred, Jesus is referred to as a man, distinct and different from God
(Allah). In 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul writes, “For there is one God, and
there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”84
Today, many modern scholars of Christianity hold that Jesus Christ
was not ‘God’.
In 1977, a group of seven biblical scholars, including leading
Anglican theologians and other New Testament scholars, published a
book called The Myth of God Incarnate, which caused a great uproar
in the General Synod of the Church of England. In the preface, the
editor, John Hick, wrote:
The writers of this book are convinced that another major
theological development is called for in this last part of the
twentieth century. The need arises from growing knowledge
of Christian origins, and involves a recognition that Jesus was

83 Jesus (pbuh) is referred to as the ‘Son of Man’ almost 200 times in the
Bible. This is an obvious conflict if he is also supposed to be God and
the ‘Son of God’.
84 All the messengers are mediators between God and people in the sense
that they are His messengers, who deliver His message.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

148 Who deserves to be worshipped?

(as he is presented in Act 2.21) ‘a man approved by God’ for a

special role within the divine purpose, and that the later
conception of him as God incarnate, the Second Person of the
Holy Trinity living a human life, is a mythological or poetic
way of expressing his significance for us.85
It should be noted that the concept of Jesus’ humanness is held not
only by Muslims but also by Jews and some early sects of Christianity
such as the Ebionites (Nazarenes), Cerinthians, Basilidians, and
Goths. These sects maintained that Jesus was a beloved prophet of
God, and they did not elevate him above his rightful status. Even
today, there are churches in Asia and Africa, in addition to the
Unitarian church and Jehovah’s Witnesses, who do not worship Jesus
as God. It is important to stress, though, that denying the divinity of
Jesus is not enough to free them on the Day of Judgement unless they
also accept Islam, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), and the last revelation
from Allah.
Both Christianity and Islam teach that Jesus was fully human; he
was a man who was born, got hungry and thirsty, got tired and slept,
felt pain, was tempted, and had other physical functions. But
Christians are asked to believe that while Jesus was fully human, he
was somehow – at the same time – fully divine. In other words, He is
the Creator (and was not created Himself), yet his human body was
created in Mary’s womb. In Islam, God is the Creator, not the created;
He is All Powerful and cannot be constrained by human limitations;
He is All Knowing, All Seeing, and All Hearing. How can we accept
that God Himself, the Creator and the All Powerful, was a human
being like us, with our human frailties?

85 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 61.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 149

The truth about sonship86

In the Bible, the expression ‘son’ has been used to refer to many of the
earlier prophets. Israel, for example, was called the ‘Son of God’ in
one of the books of Moses, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus
says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son.” (Exodus 4:22)
The same title was given to David.
I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my
Son; today I have begotten you. (Psalms 2:7)
Likewise, Prophet Solomon was called the Son of God.
He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and
I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in
Israel forever. (I Chronicles, 22:10)
Throughout the Bible, the word ‘son’ is used to refer to ‘nearness
in love’. This is ascertained when we see Jesus himself saying that
every man who did the will of the Father in heaven was a Son of God.
Jesus was reported to have said:
Love your enemies… so that you may be sons of your Father
who is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:44-45)
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons
of God. (Matthew 5:9)
Hence, what made a man worthy of being called a ‘Son of God’
was a devout life and kind, merciful behaviour.
The Bible proves that Jesus actually rejected being called ‘Son of
God’:
And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son
of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to
speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. (Luke 4:41)

86 Compiled from Caraballo, My Great Love for Jesus Led Me to Islam.

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

150 Who deserves to be worshipped?

In view of the above, there is no justification for regarding Jesus

as the Son of God in an exclusive and unique meaning. When Jesus
used the phrase ‘Son of God’, it meant exactly the same as it meant
when it was used for Adam, Israel, David and Solomon (peace be
upon them)―that is, the nearest in love to God.
The humanness and prophethood of Jesus (pbuh) are affirmed in
many verses of the Quran to correct the grave mistake of elevating
him to the status of God (Allah) or describing him as the Son of God
(Allah).
In eleven different passages of the Quran, found in nine different
chapters, Allah has denied having a son: 2: 116, 10: 68, 11: 117, 18: 4,
19: 77, 19: 88, 19: 91-92, 21: 26, 25: 2, 39: 4, and 72: 3. For example,
He says:

{And they say: The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son. You
have done an atrocious thing. The heavens almost rupture therefrom
and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation
that they attribute to the Most Merciful a son. And it is not appropriate
for the Most Merciful that He should take a son. There is no one in the
heavens and earth but that he comes to the Most Merciful as a slave.
He has enumerated them and counted them a [full] counting. And all
of them are coming to Him on the Day of Resurrection alone.}
(Quran 19: 88-95)

Allah, the Exalted, has also mentioned:

{The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other]

messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a
supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make
clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded.}
(Quran 5: 75)

Clearly, the idea that Jesus was God or that he was the son of God
is textually weak and logically impossible.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 151

Important notes
1. In none of the Christian or Muslim scriptures did Mary claim
that she was a mother of God or that her son was a God. As
mentioned in the Quran, she was a pious, virtuous woman
who worshipped God. It was never reported in the Bible that
Jesus (pbuh) instructed anyone to pray to pictures or statues of
her, and he never did this himself.
2. There are many verses in the Quran that also confirm Prophet
Muhammad’s human attributes, in order to prevent his
followers from elevating him to a divine or semi-divine status
as happened with Prophet Jesus (pbuh). For example, Allah
instructs Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) to inform all those who
hear his message:

{Say: I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed

that your god is one God. So whoever would hope for the
meeting with his Lord—let him do righteous work and not
associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.} (Quran 18: 110)

17.6 Revival of the doctrine of Jesus’ ascension

(negating the crucifixion)
Some of the changes made to Prophet Jesus’ message after his
ascension are so fundamental that they strike at the very root of
Christianity. For example, the only two references to the ascension of
Jesus that were found in the Gospels of Mark and Luke in the King
James Version (KJV) were removed from the 1952 Revised Standard
Version (RSV). Before the removal of these passages, the relevant
verses read as follows:
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received
up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. (Mark
16:19, KJV)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

152 Who deserves to be worshipped?

And it came to pass; while he blessed them, he was parted

from them, and carried up to heaven. (Luke 24:51, KJV)
The relevant verse in the Gospel of Mark was removed, along with
a number of other verses that immediately preceded and followed it,
sixteen verses in total.
In the 1952 RSV, Luke 24:51 read, “While he blessed them, he
parted from them.” The words “carried up to heaven” had been
removed.87
Islam revived the creed of Jesus’ ascension. The Quran confirms
the earliest scriptures, which inform us that Allah raised him when his
enemies attempted to crucify him. Allah replaced Jesus with another
person who resembled him, so in reality, it was this other person who
was crucified. To this day, Christians believe that Jesus himself was
the one who was killed, and to commemorate that, many wear crosses
or crucifixes or hang them in their homes, even though Jesus (pbuh)
never asked them to do that and never did it himself.
Allah has mentioned in the Quran:

{And [for] their saying: Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the
son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. And they did not kill him, nor
did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them.
And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have
no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did
not kill him, for certain. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And
ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.} (Quran 4: 157-158)

87 The verses numbered Mark 16:9-20, as well as the words “carried up to

heaven” in Luke 24:51, were restored in 1971, and they are found in
today’s RSV with a footnote explaining that some of these verses were
not found in early manuscripts. (Editor)


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 153

17.7 Revival of the prohibition of augury88

Knowledge of what is going to happen in the future is an attribute of
Allah alone. No one knows what will happen in the near or distant
future except Him. The revealed scriptures prohibited augury and
witchcraft because those who engage in these practices try to raise
themselves to the level of Allah in terms of assuming one of His
divine attributes.
Forecasting the weather is not considered part of augury and
witchcraft because weather forecasters depend upon physical
measurements and mathematical calculations. This is unlike augury
and witchcraft, where a person claims to know what is going to
happen in the future, just like Allah knows. In fact, He alone is All-
Knowing.
Jesus prohibited augury and witchcraft. Leviticus 19:26 says, “You
shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret
omens or tell fortunes.”
Islam revived this doctrine that Allah alone knows the future. Allah
has mentioned:

{…The unseen is only for Allah [to administer]…} (Quran 10: 20)

{Say: None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah,
and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.}
(Quran 27: 65)

Based on this, Islam strictly prohibits consulting fortune-tellers,

clairvoyants and the like. Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said:

88 Augury has many meanings, some of which are: prognostication,

prophecy and divination. Of course, prophecy is a gift that Allah gave to
the prophets alone, by revealing to them news of future events that
human beings could not otherwise have known, so that sceptics could
see evidence of their prophethood.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

154 Who deserves to be worshipped?

«If anyone consults a fortune-teller or sooth-sayer and believes in

what he (or she) says, then (that person) has disbelieved in what was
revealed to Muhammad (bpuh).»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Abu Dawood)

17.8 Revival of the prohibition of witchcraft

The Old Testament quotation above (Leviticus 19:26) makes it clear
that witchcraft is prohibited in the teachings of Moses, Jesus, and all
the prophets (peace be upon them all). The reason for this is that
sorcerers and practitioners of the occult seek satanic assistance to do
their magic, and this is against the teachings of all the prophets.
Islam revived the prohibition of witchcraft.
«Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said: Avoid the seven great destructive
sins.
His Companions asked: O Allah’s Messenger, what are they?
He said: To worship others besides Allah, to practice sorcery...»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)
Revival of the prohibition of harmful practices
Without doubt, the doctrinal teachings about the nature of Allah
and Jesus were revived by the religion of Islam. At the same time,
some of the prohibitions (related to practices that are harmful to the
individual and/or to society) taught by Jesus and the earlier prophets
were revived as well.

17.9 Revival of the prohibition of taking interest

Upholding the law, Prophet Jesus opposed the giving or taking of
interest because the texts of the Old Testament expressly forbid
interest.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 155

You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest

on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for
interest. (Deuteronomy 23:19)
Islam revived what Jesus taught regarding the prohibition of
interest:

{O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due
to you] of interest, if you should be believers.} (Quran 2: 278)

There is great wisdom in the prohibition of interest. Firstly, the one

who earns income through interest does so without working for it,
whereas Islam strongly encourages working for a living. Secondly, the
one who borrows does so due to a lack of financial resources, but the
interest creates an even greater debt burden because the borrower must
repay the principle coupled with interest charges. Thirdly, a system
based on interest can lead to inflation, recession, and even a complete
collapse of financial markets, as we have witnessed in our time. Many
nations in both the developed and developing worlds have become
enslaved by the system of usury and interest.
It is undisputed that the 2008-2009 world economic downturn (and
possible collapse of many world economies), which started in the
United States and spread to Europe and Asia, was caused directly by
excessive lending in amounts several times more than the actual worth
of the assets in loans. The interest charges were spread over many
resold loans, resulting in an exaggerated and unrealistic inflation of
the value of the actual money lent. This false representation of value
meant that it would be impossible for most debtors to pay back such
loans.
Allah, the Almighty, forbade usury in three places in the Quran (2:
275-278,3: 130, and 4: 161).

{Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of

Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into
insanity. That is because they say: Trade is [just] like interest. But
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

156 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has
received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is
past, and his affair rests with Allah. But whoever returns to [dealing in
interest or usury]—those are the companions of the fire; they will
abide eternally therein.} (Quran 2: 275)

In Islam, the distinction between legitimate (allowed) and

forbidden practices is very clear. Islam permits loans and the
borrowing of money, but without interest charges. In fact, the Quran
highly encourages forgiving a debt in order to remove the hardship
from the borrower, especially if he or she is in financial difficulties.
Allah has promised a great reward for the one who is able to make this
sacrifice.
Muslims who abide by these rules consequently never suffer
negative repercussions. In contrast, when human beings disobey God
Almighty, they are engulfed by disastrous results. These may come in
the form of threats to health, financial collapse, break-up of the social
fabric, and much more. So it is clear that Islam warns people about
many serious ailments afflicting our societies in this day and age; it is
equally clear that these problems are recognized by the world
community as harmful. This is a powerful sign that Islam is the true
religion and that Allah (Hallowed is He) is the true God, the One and
only divine Lord and saviour.

17.10 Revival of the prohibition of consuming pork

Jesus followed the laws of Moses and did not eat pork at all.
And the swine, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed
but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat
any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they
are unclean to you. (Leviticus 11:7-8)
Nevertheless, most Christians today eat pork. Islam revived the
prohibition of consuming the meat of the pig. Allah has mentioned:


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 157

{He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine,
and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is
forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit],
there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.}
(Quran 2: 173)

17.11 Revival of the prohibition of consuming blood

Jesus also did not eat anything containing blood, nor did he consume
blood itself. God (Allah) is recorded as having instructed Prophet
Moses in the Torah:
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it upon the
earth like water. (Deuteronomy 12:16)
You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not
interpret omens or tell fortunes. (Leviticus 19:26)
This prohibition has been revived in many verses of the Quran, one
of which mentions:

{Say: I do not find within that which was revealed to me [anything]

forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood
spilled out or the flesh of swine—for indeed, it is impure…}89
(Quran 6: 145)

17.12 Revival of the prohibition of adultery

The Bible says about adultery:
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit
adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a
woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery
with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it

89 Quran 2: 173 (mentioned earlier) prohibits the meat of the pig (pork,
ham, etc.) as well as the blood of any animal (even if the animal is lawful
to eat). Blood must be drained from the slaughtered animal before
preparing the meat for eating.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

158 Who deserves to be worshipped?

out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of
your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw
it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members
than that your whole body go into hell. (Matthew 5:27-30)
Islam revived the prohibition of adultery by considering
fornication to be amongst the strictly forbidden acts. Allah, the Most
High, has mentioned:

{And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the
soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do
not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that
will meet a penalty.} (Quran 25: 68)

{And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever

an immorality and is evil as a way.} (Quran 17: 32)

As a precaution against adultery and fornication, all acts which

might lead to them are also prohibited. Thus, Islam has strictly
forbidden men from being alone with non-mahram women, mixing
with them freely, or even shaking hands with them. At the same time,
it encourages men and women to dress modestly and to speak to non-
mahrams with a firm, business-like voice that is not enticing.
At this point, one may inquire about the wisdom behind the
prohibition of adultery. The answer is that premarital and extra-
marital relationships are destructive to the family system that is so
precious in Islam. Intimate relationships outside the sacred bond of
marriage have numerous harmful effects, including diseases such as
HIV/AIDS and children who are looked down upon in society and
considered to be without a lineage.
Revival of various other beneficial practices
Along with the doctrinal teachings about the nature of Allah and Jesus
that were revived by the religion of Islam, some of the detailed
practices pertaining to everyday life, which Jesus and the earlier


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 159

prophets had taught by example, were revived as well. Our list

continues with a few examples of those teachings.

17.13 Revival of ablution before prayer

The significance of ablution is evident when we recall that it is a form
of preparation for prayer, whereby worshippers cleanse themselves
before they stand before Allah, the Creator.
Jesus used to wash his limbs before performing the prayer, in
compliance with Old Testament teachings. Moses and Aaron have
been recorded as doing the same:
He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and
put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and
his sons washed their hands and their feet… as the LORD
commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:30-32)
Islam revived ablution for prayer; the Quran has instructed:

{O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash
your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads
and wash your feet to the ankles…} (Quran 5: 6)

Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) taught his followers (through his

statements and his example) that ablution includes washing the hands,
rinsing the mouth, washing the face, washing the arms, wiping the
head, and finally washing the feet.

17.14 Revival of performing prayers physically

Jesus performed his prayers physically, not just through supplication.
Mark 14:32 states, “And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And
he [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I pray.’”
Luke 5:16 says, “But he would withdraw to desolate places and
pray.”
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

160 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Islam revived prayers as a main act of worship. In numerous

Quranic verses, Allah, the Exalted, has instructed believers to perform
prayers. For example:

{And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow
[in worship and obedience].} (Quran 2: 43)

Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) taught his followers (through words

and actions) that performing prayers includes standing up, bowing,
and prostrating. Interestingly, the manner of performing prayer that
Jesus taught is more in line with the way Muslims pray than with what
Christians do today. According to Isaiah 45:23, God is reported to
have said, “To me every knee shall bow.”
Jesus is described in the Gospels as prostrating during
prayer. The method of prostration in prayer followed by
Jesus was not of his own making. It was the mode of prayer
of the prophets before him. In the Old Testament, Genesis
17:3, Prophet Abraham is recorded to have fallen on his face
in prayer; in Numbers 16:22 and 20:6, both Moses and
Aaron are recorded to have fallen on their faces in worship;
in Joshua 5:14 & 7:6, Joshua fell on his face to the earth in
worship; in I Kings 18:42, Elijah bowed down on the
ground and put his face between his knees. This was the
way of the prophets.90
“Christians today kneel down, clasping their hands, in a posture
which cannot be ascribed to Jesus or others.”91
In many of his statements, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) taught his
followers the manner of prayer, including bowing down and
prostrating to Allah.

90 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 87-88.

91 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 87.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 161

17.15 Revival of compulsory charity (zakah)

Jesus (pbuh) confirmed the institution of compulsory charity known as
‘the tithe (tenth)’, which was required from the annual harvest. “You
shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by
year.” (Deuteronomy 14:22)
The Quran is a revival of Jesus’ teachings. It teaches Muslims to
pay charity at the time of harvest. Allah has mentioned:

{And He it is who causes gardens to grow, [both] trellised and

untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different [kinds of] food and
olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of [each of] its
fruit when it yields and give its due [zakah] on the day of its
harvest.92 And be not excessive. Indeed, He does not like those who
commit excess.} (Quran 6: 141)

The system of charity is well-organized; it sets different rates for

cash, precious metals, various trade goods, agricultural products and
cattle.93 The purpose of charity is very well-defined; it is to provide
social support to the needy people in the community, not to provide a
comfortable living for clerics.94
The categories of those who are eligible to receive such charity
have also been clearly defined in the Quran. (See 9: 60.)
In Islam, the zakah is obligatory, but voluntary charity is also
highly promoted and encouraged. Often, Muslims voluntarily give far
more from their wealth than the obligatory minimum amount. Allah
promises great rewards for donors who give charity based on sincere

92 The zakah due is one-tenth if the field is naturally irrigated (e.g., by rain)
and one-twentieth if it is artificially irrigated (by the farmer’s own
efforts). This obligatory charity is levied on other material resources, like
trade and livestock, as well.
93 For example, the amount of zakah for cash that has been held for at least
one year is 2.5%.
94 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 92.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

162 Who deserves to be worshipped?

intentions. Throughout the history of Islam, there are many accounts

of people who gave their entire wealth to the poor, seeking Allah’s
pleasure through this remarkable act of charity.

17.16 Revival of fasting

According to the Gospels, Jesus fasted for forty days. Matthew 4:2
says:
And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he
was hungry.95 This was in accordance with the practice of the
earlier prophets. Moses is also recorded in Exodus 34:28 to
have fasted. It says: And he was there with the Lord forty
days and forty nights, he neither ate bread nor drank water.
And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the
Ten Commandments.96
The Quran is a revival of many of the teachings of Jesus and
Moses. It teaches the believers to fast during the month of Ramadan.
Allah has mentioned in the Quran that fasting is enjoined on the
Muslims as it was enjoined on previous nations.

{O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was

decreed upon those before you, that you may become righteous.}
(Quran 2: 183)

In addition, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) affirmed that Prophet

David used to fast regularly; he said:
«The best manner of (voluntary) fasting is that of my brother David,
who used to fast every other day.»
(Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)

95 See also Matthew 6:16.

96 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 92.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 163

17.17 Revival of greeting with the supplication of

peace
The greeting of peace was mentioned in the Old Testament:
So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young
men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in
my name.6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you,
and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you
have. (1 Samuel 25:5-6)
According to the New Testament, Jesus greeted his followers with a
greeting of peace.
As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood
among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” (Luke
24:36)
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father
has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21)
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas
was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came
and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” (John
20:26)
Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this
house!’ (Luke 10:5)

Followers of Judaism have continued to use this as a greeting (in

Hebrew: Shalom aleichem). Christians do not use this as a greeting,
but some denominations have a rite of peace as part of their church
services. In 1969, the Catholic Church introduced the “sign of peace”
during the Mass, when churchgoers turn to those around them, shake
hands, and say, “Peace be with you.”
As a religion of peace and respect for others, Islam revived this
noble greeting. The Quran instructs all those who enter homes to give
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

164 Who deserves to be worshipped?

the greetings of peace, and Allah has instructed the believers to greet
each other with peace as well.

{And when those come to you who believe in Our verses, say: Peace
be upon you....} (Quran 6: 54)

Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) also taught his followers to give this

greeting whenever they met each other. The greeting of peace extends
even to the heavens; the angels will greet those who enter paradise
with the same greeting of peace. To this day, Muslims around the
world ̶ no matter their national origin or native language, and no
matter whether or not they know each other ̶ greet one another with
the Arabic phrase Assalamu alaykum (Peace be upon you).

17.18 Revival of veiling (hijab) for women

The women around Jesus veiled themselves according to the
practice of women around the earlier prophets. Their
garments were loose and covered their bodies completely,
and they wore scarves which covered their hair.97
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac,
she dismounted from the camel and said to the servant,
“Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The
servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and
covered herself. (Genesis 24:64-65)
Islam encourages decency and modest dress for both men and
women. Muslim women are instructed to cover their bodies and to
wear veils that cover their heads and chests. Allah has mentioned:

{And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and
guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that

97 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 88.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 165

which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their

head covers over their chests and not expose their adornment…}
(Quran 24: 31)

Veiling, as a part of modest dress, protects women from possible

social harm and discourages males from approaching females with
dishonourable intentions. Allah instructed:

{O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the
believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments.
That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And
ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.} (Quran 33: 59)

In today’s society, disregard for the hijab―and for modesty in

general―is one factor that has led to women being treated as objects,
whereby their bodies are used as commodities from which to acquire
pleasure. It is no surprise then that many companies use women as
advertising props to entice customers into purchasing their products.
The fact remains that even in the eyes of those who use women as
objects, only those who keep more of their bodies covered and hidden
from the public eye are regarded as modest.

17.19 Revival of polygyny

There is no record of Prophet Jesus opposing polygyny. The Old
Testament records a number of examples of polygamous marriages
among the prophets, including these:
So, after Abram [Abraham] had lived ten years in the land of
Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her
servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
(Genesis 16:3)
And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every
man with his household, and David with his two wives,
Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.
(1 Samuel 27:3)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

166 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Solomon is said to have “…had 700 wives, who were princesses,

and 300 concubines.” (1 Kings 11:3)
Solomon’s son Rehoboam “took eighteen wives and sixty
concubines.” (2 Chronicles 11:21)
The Old Testament even specified laws regarding the division of
inheritance in polygamous circumstances, which indicates that the
practice was a normal one in the society.98 (See Deuteronomy 21:15-
16.) Jewish law actually requires polygyny in some situations. If a
man dies without children, his wife is required to marry his brother
even if the brother is already married; the reason is to produce an heir
for her deceased husband, and her first child is considered to be his
heir.
Islam revived polygyny, this practice of the earlier prophets, but it
imposed stringent restrictions. It permits a man to marry to up to four
women, with strict conditions stipulating justice and equal treatment
among the wives as the basic condition for polygyny. Allah has stated:

{…marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or

four. But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one or
those your right hand possesses…} (Quran 4: 3)

The only restriction on polygamy (polygyny) recorded in earlier

scriptural teaching was the ban (in Leviticus 18:18) on taking a wife’s
sister as a “rival wife”.99 This law is applied in Islam as well, as stated
in Quran 4: 23.

17.20 Revival of male circumcision

Jesus was circumcised. According to Luke 2:21:

98 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 94.

99 Philips, The True Message of Jesus Christ, 95.


 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus 167

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he

was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was
conceived in the womb.
Prophet Abraham (pbuh), whom the Quran tells us was neither a
Jew nor a Christian, was the first to be circumcised, according to the
Old Testament:
And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my
covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their
generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep,
between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male
among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in
the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the
covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old
among you shall be circumcised.” (Genesis 17:9-12)
Today circumcision is not widely treated as a religious or legal
requirement among Christians, and rates of circumcision vary across
different countries. Although it is a controversial topic for some, the
medical benefits have been documented. In 2012, the American
Academy of Pediatrics website published its “Circumcision Policy
Statement,” stating:
Evaluation of current evidence indicates that the health
benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and
that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure
for families who choose it. Specific benefits identified
included prevention of urinary tract infections, penile cancer,
and transmission of some sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV.
According to the World Health Organization website:
There is compelling evidence that male circumcision reduces
the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men by
approximately 60%.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

168 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Islam revives male circumcision and makes it a requirement.100

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) said:
«There are five practices which correspond with the natural human
inclination: shaving pubic hair and underarm hair, (male)
circumcision, trimming the moustache, and trimming fingernails and
toenails.» (Recorded by Bukhari, Muslim and others)

Conclusion
Islam revived the faith of the prophets, which is based upon the belief
in one God (Allah). Along with belief, they revived many rules and
practices related to morality, justice and pure living. Hence, the
Islamic way of life is much closer to that of Jesus and the previous
prophets (peace be upon them all) than that of any other group of
people who claim to be their followers.

100 Although circumcision is highly recommended for a man who becomes

Muslim, Islamic scholars say that if he is unable to do it, it should not be
insisted upon, and this does not affect the validity of his embracing
Islam.


18. FEATURES OF ISLAMIC TEACHINGS

Allah has made the message of Islam easy to understand and to

follow. He annulled some previously prescribed rites and
practices, while he affirmed others, according to His wisdom. As a
result, the Islamic creed and law are suited to people’s spiritual,
psychological, social, and economic needs, for all of humankind and
for all eras. Islamic teachings have the following unique features:

18.1 Rationality
The truth should be clear and obvious. It should be so simple that
anyone is capable of seeing it, and this clarity is the most compelling
feature of Islam. One should not have to work through a series of
complicated logical proofs in order to derive a fundamental principle,
only to arrive at something that he or she is unsure of―yet this is
often the case with other religions or philosophies.

18.2 Perfection
Since Allah is perfect, His teachings must also be perfect and free
from any contradiction or error. The Quran challenges its readers to
find any errors in it if they do not believe it is really from Allah:

{Then do they not reflect upon the Quran? If it had been from [any]
other than Allah, they would have found within it much
contradiction.} (Quran 4: 82)

Dr Maurice Bucaille, a French surgeon, found many scientific facts

mentioned in the Quran that were not known by humans at the time
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was conveying these verses to those
around him. Dr Bucaille wrote, “I could not find a single error in the
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

170 Who deserves to be worshipped?

Quran.”101 As a result of his findings, he left Christianity and

embraced Islam.

18.3 Clarity
Allah is the Most Compassionate. He therefore guides people through
clear and simple revelations that are free of myths, superstitions, and
mysteries.

18.4 Scientific validity and accuracy

It is not surprising to find in the Quran, and in the statements of
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), information that has only recently been
discovered by modern science. This indicates that the Quran is the
word of Allah and that Muhammad (bpuh) is His messenger. On the
other hand, the religious views which the church presented
concerning God, the Bible, and the individual’s relation to God
forced people into an unfortunate choice: either science or God.
Many educated people have concluded that one cannot be a scientist
or an educated person and be a true Christian at the same time. Many
philosophers and scientists, and the majority of lay people, have lost
hope of reconciling religion and science; thus, the ideology of
secularism was developed and has since flourished. This dichotomy
would not have arisen if the original scripture that was revealed to
Jesus (pbuh) had not been distorted. Islam, the pure religion, raises no
contradictions whatsoever between religion and science. This is
naturally obvious because both religion and true scientific knowledge
are from the same source: Allah, the Exalted, who does not contradict
Himself.102

101 Bucaille, The Quran and Modern Science.

102 For more information on the many scientific facts that are referenced in
the Quran, see The Quran and Modern Science by Dr Maurice Bucaille


 Features of Islamic teachings 171

18.5 Prophetic fulfilment

Many of the events prophesied in the Quran and in the Prophet’s
statements have come to pass. This is further proof that Islam is not a
man-made religion, because it would be unimaginable for an
uneducated man who was living isolated from other civilizations to
make up such prophecies; they must have been revealed to him by
Allah.

18.6 Moderation
In Islam, there is no conflict between spiritual and worldly life.
Rather, it provides a balance among all aspects of human life, taking
into account the needs and wants of individuals and society.
Therefore, secularism, materialism, monasticism, and extreme
asceticism are all rejected by Islam, which provides a middle way to
achieve harmony and balance between the spiritual and material needs
of people. This is why Allah has called the Muslim nation a:

{...just community [moderate nation]...} (Quran 2: 143)

18.7 Comprehensiveness
Islamic teachings provide people with definite guidelines to follow in
all aspects of life: spiritual, individual, social, moral, political,
economic, and so on.

18.8 Uniqueness
Some have claimed that the Quran is man-made; Allah challenges
them to:

and A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam by I. A. Ibrahim

(available online at www.islam-guide.com).
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

172 Who deserves to be worshipped?

{...produce a chapter the like thereof...} (Quran 2: 23)

Indeed, the entire Quran—its language, its elegance, its miraculous

nature—is unparalleled. The ancient non-Muslim Arabs tried to
construct a verse yet failed, even though their language and poetry
were very highly developed in that era. Even many recent non-Muslim
scholars admit that the Quran is one of the greatest books known to
humankind. This point ultimately leads to the fact that Muhammad
(bpuh)—the illiterate—was a true prophet to whom the Quran was
revealed.

18.9 Justice
All of humankind descended from one man and one woman (Adam
and Eve). Islam teaches that the criterion by which all human beings
are judged is righteousness, not the colour of their skin or their status
in society. In the view of Allah, the best person is the most righteous.
A verse of the glorious Quran reads:

{...Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most
righteous of you...} (Quran 49: 13)


19. ISLAM, THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION

Islam is a universal message to all of humankind, for all times until

the Day of Judgement. Whereas every other prophet was sent to his
own people, and for a limited time period, Muhammad (bpuh) was
sent for everyone: male or female, rich or poor, Arab or non-Arab,
slave or freeborn. Islam can be practiced anywhere on the earth; it is
not tied to locality or culture. Prophet Jesus’ mission was limited to
the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24) Therefore, if
you are not from the tribes of Israel (the descendants of the twelve
sons of Prophet Jacob) and you are a Christian, then you are following
a religion and a message which were not meant for you. This means
you are not on the right track!
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

20. WHY ISLAM?

Eevery person and the original imprintbecause

very person should revert to Islam it is the birthright of
on every human soul at
birth.
Every person should revert to Islam because Allah has sealed and
superseded all previous messages with Islam. Allah has mentioned to
all people:

{…This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My
favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion…}
(Quran 5: 3)

Every person should revert to Islam because people in every era

must worship their Lord (Allah) according to the law prescribed by
Him as revealed to His Prophet (bpuh). The tribes of Israel, for
example, were ordered to worship Allah according to the law of
Moses. When Prophet Jesus was sent to them, they were ordered to
worship Allah according to what was prescribed in the Gospel. Then
when Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) with the message of
Islam to all people, it became incumbent on all people, the tribes of
Israel and all others, to enter Islam.
After all, what could be more serious than the rejection of the
religion which the Creator and Sustainer of everything has enjoined
upon all people? Indeed, this is the greatest injustice committed by
human beings. It is sad but true that if a person dies in this state, he or
she will be punished and cast into the hellfire to live there for eternity.
This concept has been emphasized hundreds of times in the Quran and
in the statements of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh). Allah has mentioned:

{And whoever desires other than Islam as religion—never will it be

accepted from him, and he, in the hereafter, will be among the losers.}
(Quran 3: 85)


 Why Islam? 175

Also, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said:

«Whoever among the Christians and Jews hears of me, does not
follow what I have brought, and dies in this state will be among the
inhabitants of hellfire.» (Recorded by Muslim)
Note that Allah was reported to have said in a prophecy, “And
whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I
myself will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:19)
Since it has been proven that the prophet referred to here is
Muhammad (bpuh), this means that whoever believes in the Bible
must believe in this prophet and in what this prophet says; otherwise,
they will be called to account for that. After they realize who this
prophet is, it follows logically that they must adhere to his teachings.
There are those who may not accept Islam because they think that
becoming a Muslim means turning one’s back on all the previous
prophets sent by Allah. This is a false concept because of the
following:
Firstly, belief in all the prophets of Allah is a pillar of Islamic
faith; hence, one is not a believing Muslim unless he or she believes in
Jesus, Moses and all the other prophets (peace be upon them all).
Secondly, belief in the prophets is a part of what each prophet
taught. (In other words, every prophet called his people to believe in
the prophet who would come after him and to follow that prophet
whenever he appeared.) Therefore, rejecting a prophet amounts to
rejecting his predecessor.
Thirdly, rejecting any prophet amounts to rejecting the One Who
sent him: Allah.
Fourthly, Islam promises great rewards to the followers of
previous faiths if they believe in Islam in addition to their previous
faith.
The Messenger of Allah (bpuh) said:
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

176 Who deserves to be worshipped?

«Three people have a double reward: a person from the People of the
Scriptures (the Jews and the Christians) who believed in his prophet
(Jesus or Moses) and then believes in Prophet Muhammad (by
embracing Islam)...» (Recorded by Bukhari)
The first reward is for believing in their previous religion (before
knowing about Islam); the second reward is for recognizing the truth
of Islam and following it.
From the Islamic perspective, the relationships among the prophets
are like the relationships among the links in a chain; rejecting one of
them amounts to rejecting all of them. Likewise, becoming a Muslim
means having the honour of believing in all the prophets who came
before Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) and not turning one’s back on any
previous prophets.
Finally, we have to accept Islam because Islam has revived the
eternal divine teachings that had been either forgotten, lost, or
distorted in the previous messages. Islam retains and maintains the
practical teachings mentioned in the previous scriptures (as originally
revealed), which are part of the birthright of all people until the end
of this world.


21. A FINAL CALL TO REASON

ACome,
concluding suggestion: consider what everyone has in common.
let us reason together:

{Say: O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable

between us and you—that we will not worship except Allah and not
associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead
of Allah. But if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are
Muslims [submitting to Him].} (Quran 3: 64)

In the noble Quran, {People of the Scripture} is the respectful title

given to the Jews and the Christians. Muslims are being commanded
to invite them with noble and respectful words: O People of the Book,
O learned people, O people who claim to be the recipients of divine
revelation of a holy scripture, let us gather onto a common platform:
that we worship none but Allah, because none but Him is worthy of
worship and because He is our Lord and Cherisher, our Sustainer and
Evolver, worthy of all praise, prayer and devotion.
These truths are basic and an integral part of any human being’s
intellect. Sort through the layers of indoctrination that hide this simple
fact, and one will be able to see that deep down, every human being
retains the simple and obvious concept of Allah. In essence, every
human being agrees that there is only One God worthy of worship,
One God Who is free of partners, helpers, and anything that is
ascribed to Him falsely.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

22. THIS IS IT

Ingiven
this book, you have been shown the right path, and Allah has
you the ability to distinguish right from wrong. He has also
given you the freedom of choice as to whether or not to accept the
message of Islam. If you accept His call, you will be warmly
welcomed into paradise. If you reject it, you will end up with the
biggest loss ever imagined: the loss of paradise and the guarantee of
dwelling in hellfire for all eternity. Take a moment to comprehend
what eternity really means. It is a very frightening realization.
To those who have been faithful Christians, you are warmly
welcome to embrace Islam because:
❖ Jesus asked his followers to follow Muhammad (bpuh)
whenever he appeared.103
❖ When Jesus comes back before the end of this world, he will
follow Muhammad (bpuh) and abide by his teachings.104
Yes, since Jesus called his true followers to follow it while he was
on the earth, and he will follow Islam when he comes back, all faithful
Christians should follow Islam as well.
To those who have been believing Jews, remember that Abraham
and Moses surrendered themselves completely to their Lord, whether
they called Him Elohenu, God, or Allah. All pride in ethnicity or
ancestry is vain; what will matter in the end is your individual
relationship with your Creator. This means total submission: Islam.

103 See Chapter 15: The Amazing Prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh) in the
Bible: Twenty-Eight Proofs from the Bible of Muhammad’s
Prophethood.
104 See Chapter 14: Eleven Facts about Jesus (pbuh) and His Mother
(Mary) in Islamic Teachings.


 This is it 179

To those of other faiths or those who, until now, did not feel that
they had any faith at all, consider this message now, without any
reluctance or hesitation, before it is too late―before death overtakes
you. It could be soon. Who knows?
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

23. A WHISPER

Some people are not able to find the truth because of their blind
commitment to their beliefs. Their tenacious adherence is usually
not based on an intellectual understanding of the teachings but on
powerful cultural and emotional influences. Because they were
brought up in a particular family or society, they firmly cling to the
beliefs of that group, believing that they are upholding the truth.
There are others who are convinced about the religion of Islam and
are mentally ready to embrace it. However, when they contemplate the
drastic changes it will bring to their lives, changes that might not
please their families and communities, they hesitate, and even after
taking the decision, they sometimes go back and change their minds
later.
It is whispered in their ears that no matter how much money,
prestige, status, and power an unbeliever may have possessed in this
life, he or she will never have enough to buy entrance into paradise. In
the hereafter, the poorest inhabitant of Earth who has testified to the
truth of Islam will be far happier and more dignified than the richest
person who did not accept the message of Islam.
Rejecting Allah’s message is the biggest sin that one can commit.
For this reason, while the soul is still in his or her body, the wise
individual should take this opportunity; he or she is still alive to
accept Allah’s message before it is too late. The time for repentance is
limited because once death arrives, it is no longer possible to obtain
forgiveness.105 Allah has mentioned:

{[For such is the state of the disbelievers] until, when death comes to
one of them, he says: My Lord, send me back that I might do

105 Compiled from Caraballo, My Great Love for Jesus Led Me to Islam.


 A whisper 181

righteousness in that which I left behind. No! It is only a word he is

saying…}106 (Quran 23: 99-100)

Religion is, without question, the most important aspect of a

person’s life, for it determines whether or not a person is rightly
guided. It follows, therefore, that choosing the true faith is the most
important personal decision one must make, and this decision needs to
be based on clarity and total conviction. When it comes to matters of
religion and creed, nothing must be left to chance because the one
who is truly guided—as opposed to the one who is not—will surely
find eternal happiness in the hereafter!
Having been presented with the previous proofs, we should use our
intellect to analyse and reason. A crossroad has been reached, and
Allah (Glorified is He) calls on all people to follow the clear, straight
road and avoid all the murky, dubious ones. The right path has now
become distinct from the wrong path, as Allah has mentioned:

{There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The

right course has become clear from the wrong, so whoever disbelieves
in taghoot and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy
handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.}
(Quran 2: 256)

It is my duty and responsibility, as a resident of this great planet,

and as one who has submitted my free will to the law and
commandments of the Supreme Being, to urge all human beings to
stay away from the worship of false deities—to stop putting their faith
in statues, sphinxes, figures, amulets, talismans, horseshoes, and any
other objects that have been manufactured by humans or created by

106 The unbelievers will ask for a ‘second chance’ when they see the angels
ready to punish them, but it will be too late; they were given the time,
the intellect and the guidance, but they neglected it for years until time
ran out.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

182 Who deserves to be worshipped?

God. After first repenting, a person should submit completely to the

will of Allah, the Only God of the universe.


24. WHAT IS MOTIVATING PEOPLE TO
TURN TO ISLAM?

Itworld.
is a fact that Islam is growing rapidly in the West and around the
In the U.S. alone, the number of Muslims has risen
dramatically, from about 10,000 in 1900 to at least several million
people today. Here are four main reasons why non-Muslims become
Muslims:
1. Islam teaches that all believers are equal in the eyes of God,
and it forbids any form of racism or discrimination due to
colour, land of origin, tribe, etc.
2. Islam does not have a religious hierarchy; there is no
priesthood in Islam, so individuals have a direct relationship
with God, without intermediaries. All Muslims are taught to
do good and avoid evil and to educate themselves about their
religion, and they go to reputable scholars for knowledge and
advice.
3. Islam teaches that all its followers are considered normal
human beings. No one is allowed to exalt himself or herself
over others by claiming divinity, or to deceive the community
by claiming to have a direct message and/or direct alliance
with God, or to have spoken with God. No one can make the
false allegation that God has taken him as a son and that as a
result of that, people should follow this person blindly!
Unfortunately, some members of the clergy utilize this
concept to deceive their followers for their own personal
benefit. An example is when they convince their followers
that they cannot be questioned and are beyond reproach; some
even solicit sexual relations from vulnerable individuals who
come to ask them questions and/or seek forgiveness from sins
through them.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

184 Who deserves to be worshipped?

I spoke to one young woman who turned to Islam after

waking up from her sleep and discovering this huge lie and
deceit… finally realizing that she had squandered her modesty
and decency in the bed of a drunk clergyman!
4. Islam teaches its adherents to establish and strengthen their
own direct relationship with Allah, where no intercession is
needed from another person. In Islam, there is no church to
act as an intermediary between an individual and Allah. It
rejects the concept of seeking forgiveness of sins by
confessing to a priest, an ordinary human being, who has no
authority to absolve anyone of sin.
Muslims must follow the guidance of God’s law as it has been
revealed, and this will lead them to success. If individuals err,
they only have to turn to Allah, because He is the Oft-
Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Islam frees the mind from
barriers and roadblocks, granting its followers unobstructed
access to Allah. It teaches that Allah is the only One from
Whom people should seek forgiveness. He does not need
intermediaries (in any form) standing in between, presenting
themselves as the gatekeepers to Allah and contending that
only through them may people have access to Him. Islam
strictly rejects the man-made concept of confessing one’s sin
to a human being such as a “priest”, and it rejects the act of
seeking salvation through this person. Allah is All-Hearing,
All-Seeing, Most Merciful, and Most Knowledgeable. He is
All-Rich. He does not need intermediaries to convey people’s
needs to Him. People need only to raise their hands and say,
“Allah, please forgive me; I promise to repent,” and Allah will
forgive them.107 That’s it!

107 Islam teaches that one must repent for the sake of Allah only (not out of
compulsion or to be seen doing so), stop committing the sin, sincerely


 What is motivating people to turn to Islam? 185

In general, this direct relationship is a means of accessing

Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. This concept is logical and
straightforward; anyone would naturally be pleased to hear
and believe it.
However, Allah (God) warns humankind that He refuses to
forgive those who associate partners with Him:

{Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He

forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who
associates others with Allah has certainly gone far astray.}
(Quran 4: 116)

regret it, and intend not to return to it.

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

25. THE ISLAMIC STANCE ON

TERRORISM108

E very religion has adherents who pervert it, like psychiatric

patients who try to steal the truth and replace it with an alternate
narrative. Describing a terrorist group as Islamic is like describing the
Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as Christian. After all, KKK members use a
cross and believe in Christ, yet they have persecuted and killed
African-Americans in the name of religion and Christ.
Terrorists have various religions and political ideologies, and
massacres have been committed in many countries with the aim of
‘cleansing’ those countries. There are people who claim the Jewish
faith although their behaviour has nothing to do with Judaism, just as
there are people who call themselves Hindus but whose actions
actually have nothing to do with Hinduism. Bearing this in mind,
claiming that terrorists are Islamic is preposterous.
In Islam’s sacred book, the Quran, God instructs us to say that
{You have your religion, and I have my religion}. (109:6) In other
words, I am free to practice my faith, and you are free to practice your
faith, since there is {no compulsion in religion}. (2:256) This is
despite the fact that Islam makes it clear that it is the only religion that
is still intact and not distorted, and hence it is the only religion
accepted by God in the Hereafter.
The Quran also declares, {Whoever kills a soul… it is as if he had
killed the whole humankind, and whoever saves one, it is as if he had
saved all humankind}. (5:32)

108 There is no universally accepted definition of terrorism; in general, it

refers to threats and violence by a non-state actor against non-
combatants, in the pursuit of ideological objectives and with the intent
to create fear.


 The Islamic stance on terrorism 187

Does humankind have any greater sign of tolerance and mercy than
this?
Keeping in mind these teachings, and analysing them fairly and
logically, we can conclude that terrorist organizations that commit
acts which contradict the teachings of Islam do not represent Islam at
all.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

26. HOW TO BECOME A MUSLIM

E very religion has its own requirements for conversion.

Someone who wants to become Jewish must pledge all of the
following:
1) To enter the ‘eternal covenant’ between God and the people of
Israel and to become a Jew of his or her own free will;
2) To accept Judaism to the exclusion of all other religious faiths
and practices, which means to deny the prophethood of Jesus
and Muhammad (bpuh) and to deny the revelations that God
sent to humankind through them;
3) An undivided loyalty to Judaism and to the Jewish people
under all circumstances;
4) To commit to learning the Torah and other Jewish knowledge;
and
5) To raise his or her children as Jews.
To be a Christian, one must:
1) Believe that God (Allah) has a partner, a mother, and a son;
2) Believe that every new-born baby is born sinful;
3) Believe that God became a man and descended to Earth to die
for the sins of the people;
4) Deny the prophethood of Muhammad (bpuh) publicly; and
5) Deny that the Quran is a revelation from Allah, the Exalted.
However, to become a Muslim is simple. One must:
1) Bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except
Allah (in other words, disown all false gods),
2) Bear witness that Muhammad (bpuh) is His messenger,
3) Believe in all the six articles of faith, and
4) Worship Allah as taught by Prophet Muhammad (bpuh).


 How to become a Muslim 189

Hence, becoming a Muslim is a simple and easy process. If anyone

has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full belief that Islam is the
true religion of God, all he or she needs to do is to pronounce the
shahadah, the testimony of faith.109 Pronunciation of this testimony
with a sincere heart brings the person into the fold of Islam. It is the
main gateway to Islam.
Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) said:
«Whoever testifies that there is no deity worthy of worship except
Allah, Who has no partner; that Muhammad is His slave and
messenger; that Jesus is the slave of Allah, His prophet, and His
word110 which He bestowed in Mary and a spirit created from Him;
that paradise (heaven) is true; and that the hellfire is true—Allah will
eventually admit him into paradise, according to his deeds.»
(Recorded by Bukhari)
The first part of the testimony consists of the most important words
of truth that Allah has ever revealed to His noble prophets, “There is
no deity worthy of worship except Allah.” He has stated:

{And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed
to him that: There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.}
(Quran 21: 25)

Bearing this testimony implies that all forms of worship—whether

praying, fasting, supplicating, seeking refuge, or offering an animal as
sacrifice—must be directed to Allah and to Him alone. Directing any
form of worship to other than Allah (whether to an angel, a prophet,
Jesus, Muhammad [bpuh], a saint, an idol, a statue, the sun, the moon,

109 The words of the shahadah are: Ash-hadu al-la ilahailla Allah, wa ash-
hadu anna Muhammadan Abduhu wa Rasooluhu. (I testify that there is
no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I testify that Muhammad
is His slave and messenger.)
110 It means that Jesus was created when Allah said the word “Be”; when
He said it, Jesus was created in the womb of his mother, Mary.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

190 Who deserves to be worshipped?

a tree, a cross, or anything else) contradicts the fundamental message

not only of Islam but of all the prophets; it is an unforgivable sin in
the hereafter, so one must repent before death.
The second part of the testimony means that Prophet Muhammad
(bpuh) is the slave and the chosen messenger of Allah.111 This implies
that a true Muslim obeys and follows the commands of the Prophet
(bpuh) as mentioned in the collections of his hadiths. One must
believe in what he has said, practice his teachings, and avoid what he
has forbidden because the hadiths were, in fact, revelations and
inspiration conveyed to him by Allah.
As mentioned earlier, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was sent in
order to implement the Quran in a practical way through his sayings,
deeds, and legislation, as well as all other facets of his life. When his
wife Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked about his
character, she replied:
«His character was that of the Quran.»
(Recorded by Muslim and Abu Dawood)
Hence, to truly adhere to the second part of the shahadah is to
follow his example in all walks of life. Allah has mentioned:

{Say [O Muhammad]: If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so]
Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving
and Merciful.} (Quran 3: 31)

A true Muslim must strive to mould his or her life and character to
emulate the Prophet (bpuh), for he was a living example for human
beings to follow. Allah has said to His Prophet (bpuh):

{And indeed, you are of a great moral character.} (Quran 68: 4)

111 The meaning of ‘slavery to Allah’ was explained in Chapter 11: The
Meaning of Worship in Islam.


 How to become a Muslim 191

Allah has also said to all people:

{There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an

excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day
and [who] remembers Allah often.} (Quran 33: 21)

When one enters the fold of Islam, all previous sins are forgiven;
one starts a new life of piety and righteousness since he or she, in
essence, has repented from the ways and beliefs of the previous life.
One man told the Prophet (bpuh) that he would accept Islam only
under the condition that Allah would forgive his sins; the Prophet
(bpuh) asked him:
«Do you not know that accepting Islam destroys all sins that came
before it?» (Recorded by Muslim)
As soon as a person accepts Islam, he or she is free of all previous
sins. The person’s record is wiped clean, as if he or she was born that
very day. One should try as much as possible to keep his or her
records clean and strive to do as many good deeds as possible; the
more good deeds, the more he or she will be elevated in paradise.
It should be emphasized again that accepting Islam does not mean
turning your back on the messages of previous prophets (peace be
upon them all). Indeed, it is a fulfilment of those messages. Therefore,
if you are a Jew or a Christian, accepting Islam and following Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) is a fulfilment of the messages which Moses and
Jesus (peace be upon them) brought, as has been clearly described and
proven in Chapter 15: The Amazing Prophecies of Muhammad (bpuh)
in the Bible: Twenty-Eight Proofs from the Bible of Muhammad’s
Prophethood.
On the other hand, rejecting Islam means turning your back not
only on Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) but also on Prophets Moses and
Jesus. Doing so is actually a clear violation of their messages, and it
diminishes your hope of paradise in the hereafter.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

192 Who deserves to be worshipped?

It is now up to you to decide where your own future home will be.
I wish you all the best!


27. BEST DECISION THEY EVER MADE

Islam is often called the fastest growing religion, and each person
who embraces Islam has a unique story and unique reasons. Despite
widespread misconceptions about women in Islam, a growing number
of women are finding that Islam is the true religion and the best way
of life. Ann Ronayne’s story is below; she welcomes emails from
readers and can be reached at [email protected].
“Me? Go live in Kuwait? No way!” That was my reaction
when my manager tried to persuade me to take a position in
Kuwait. But I was to learn that {...the command of Allah is a
decree of predestiny that is ever fulfilled.} (Quran 33: 38)112
I was born and raised in suburban Washington, D.C. in a
Catholic family, and I attended Catholic schools. In the 1960s, the
Catholic Church made major changes in its teachings in an attempt
to be more modern; it tried to focus more on positive aspects and
de-emphasize what was considered negative: punishment,
regulations, abstinence from certain foods at certain times, etc.
(Even so, Catholics in the West routinely ignored many of the rules
that still existed, such as the prohibitions on contraceptives.) The
Mass, which had always been said in Latin, was said in English
instead. The nuns who taught us replaced their habits (modest
dress) with modern clothes. Our religion classes had never
involved reading the Bible, but now, instead of focusing on
religious beliefs, they involved discussion of social issues and
singing a lot of contemporary folk songs, as did the new Masses. It
seemed strange that so much of what we had been taught as the
truth was now completely changed. Still, when we prepared for our
first Holy Communion, we were taught that the bread that the

112 This translation is taken from Hammad, The Gracious Quran.

 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

194 Who deserves to be worshipped?

priest was putting in our mouths was the actual body of Jesus
(which would bleed if we were to bite it). For these and many other
reasons, I doubted my religion and rejected it from a young age.
My decision was only confirmed as I learned more. If the
trinity was such an important concept, why hadn’t Jesus explained
that clearly (and repeated it over and over again)? If God wanted to
forgive us, He could have done that without coming to Earth
Himself and being crucified to atone for our sins. Was it Jesus the
man or Jesus the God who died on the cross, and how can God –
Who has no beginning or end – die? If God did send His son (who
was also God?) down to Earth to guide us, why would He neglect
to give us the message during his thirty-three years, so that the
truth had to be discovered and given to us later by Paul, who never
even met Jesus?! If Christianity were the true religion, why didn’t
Jesus himself live and teach it?
For many years, I considered myself an atheist or an agnostic,
but I was never concerned with choosing a label. I thought it was
enough that I tried to be a good person, and I felt that nonbelievers
actually did more good works because they didn’t depend on any
supernatural being for help. I never felt that I was searching for
answers about the purpose of life or about religious beliefs.
After the Gulf War, I was working as a computer consultant
when my company was offered a position in Kuwait which was
perfect for me. My initial reaction was that I had no desire to go
and work in a place where I thought women were treated as
second-class citizens; after all, I had the usual stereotypes about
women in a place like Kuwait. The manager on location assured
me that the working environment was professional and that there
were many bright women in the organization, including those who
would be my supervisor and manager. I was eventually persuaded


 Best decision they ever made 195

to take the contract for one year, thinking that it would be an

adventure.
I soon learned that all of the stereotypes I had brought with
me were wrong.
My colleagues were always friendly and respectful, and it
occurred to me that it was almost the only environment I’d ever
worked in where I saw no evidence of sexual harassment―not
even any off-colour jokes or racy calendars hanging in cubicles. (It
was certainly different from the atmosphere I’d experienced in the
US military.) The women working with me were university
graduates and were not shy about speaking out, and most chose to
wear Islamic dress. Advertisements did not use women’s bodies to
sell products.
I was impressed to see the bonds among families and
members of the society in general. When one colleague lost his pay
check, all of the men quickly pitched in until they had collected the
same amount of money for him. People also gave generously to the
needy, both locally and globally.
When someone’s mother called and said she needed
something, the person would leave work to take her to the doctor
or get what she needed. If a man’s uncle died, all the men attended
the funeral prayer; if a woman’s aunt died, all the women went to
visit her to give their condolences. When someone married or had
a baby or recovered from an operation, an extensive network of
family members, friends and colleagues shared that experience.
Hospital rooms were large and even furnished with sofas and
chairs to accommodate all the visitors.
The attitude towards the elderly was different from what I was
used to, since extended families lived together, with several
generations in one house; the children who didn’t live in the same
house came to visit often, if not daily. Grandparents had children
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

196 Who deserves to be worshipped?

and grandchildren living with them and were not left to live and
die alone, or sent to nursing homes (which don’t even exist). Older
women were highly respected; they did not feel the need to make
themselves look young and beautiful in order to gain self-esteem.
Taking care of one’s elderly parents was seen as a blessing and an
opportunity for doing good deeds, rather than a burden, and care of
one’s parents is emphasized in the moral system of Islam. (This is
not to say that non-Muslims in the West don’t care about their
parents, but there are different priorities and expectations. There is
usually more of an emphasis on nuclear families and
independence, with the elderly themselves not wishing to be a
burden on their families.) In general, dealing with difficult
situations was seen as a test and not a cause for despair. Taking
one’s own life was rare and also forbidden because only Allah has
that right.
When the month of Ramadan came around, I was amazed by
the idea that one billion Muslims around the world were fasting
together―abstaining from food and drink every day from long
before sunrise until the sun set. I joined them in fasting the entire
month, although I had no intention of becoming Muslim and didn’t
experience the spiritual recharge that I would feel later as a
Muslim.
At the time, I knew little about Islam, and I’m embarrassed to
say now that I considered it a backwards religion which would
only appeal to the ignorant masses. As I slowly realized that the
stereotypes I had brought with me were all wrong, I became
curious about the religion. As I learned more, I discovered that
Islam was the reason for the moral system I had witnessed, and
that these positive social aspects had been part of Islamic societies
throughout the centuries. Even small things that had struck
me―such as greetings given among strangers when one entered an
elevator or an office―had their basis in Islamic teachings.


 Best decision they ever made 197

I got a Quran translation and some other books and began

reading. Over and over again, I was surprised at what I found―and
perhaps more by what I didn’t find. I found a belief system which
was rational and uncluttered, and I didn’t find the oppression of
women or terrorism that I had expected. I was attracted by the
emphasis on social justice and standing up against oppression.
Obviously, the key question about religion is deciding
whether or not it is true. Since this decision must rely on faith to
some extent, how can we really know? One factor is the credibility
of the sources; in the case of Islam, the most important source is
the Quran.
I was struck by its scientific accuracy, demonstrated by
statements which describe scientific phenomena that were not
discovered until recently. I learned that the Islamic world had
made major contributions to scientific knowledge and was the seat
of civilization and learning while Europe was in the Dark Ages.
Logically, I knew that an illiterate seventh century Arab could not
have written this book himself. I began to question my idea that
there was no Creator―that the intricate systems that made up the
universe and its life forms could have developed randomly or that
we were born, lived, and died with no purpose.
I was impressed that the Quran had never been changed over
the years, so that the Quran we read today (in its original Arabic) is
exactly the same as that revealed to Muhammad (bpuh) and passed
on to his followers 1400 years ago. All Muslims memorize parts of
it, and there are millions of people around the world who have
memorized it in its entirety, so even if every copy disappeared
today from the face of the earth, it would be easily recorded again.
I couldn’t help but to contrast that with the Bible, a collection of
books written by various people over time; different Christian sects
do not even agree on which books are included, and in some cases,
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

198 Who deserves to be worshipped?

scholars do not even know who wrote the books. We do not have
the original sources, and there are different versions of the later
sources. There are many contradictions, and the New Testament
actually rejects many of the teachings of the Old Testament.
I was surprised to find out that Islam had the same roots as
Judaism and Christianity, and that Muslims believed in the same
prophets, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon
them all).
I began to understand why Muslims loved Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) so much, and I wondered why I never knew
anything about him... never even knew that he was a historical
figure about whom so much was known, and whose gravesite is
known and visited. Authentic narrations from those who were
closest to him describe him as a modest, truthful man who stood up
for justice and against oppression.
I used to walk along the beach at night, looking up at the
moon and stars and reflecting on Allah’s creation, as the Quran
recommended. I became convinced that the Quran must have been
a message from God, but it took me a while to actually accept
Islam… yet it was so rational and simple in its essence: one God,
one Creator of the universe and everything in it, Who offered us
guidance to make the best of our lives in this life and the next.
Obviously, there are more details, but this sums up the Islamic
beliefs, and one who accepts this is essentially a Muslim.
The concept seemed so pure and logical, especially when
compared to the concept of the trinity, which cannot be explained
rationally. There are three Gods, but they are one God? Jesus is
both fully divine and fully human, so that he is all powerful yet
experiences hunger and thirst and other physical needs? Moreover,
this uncomplicated main principle of Islam – that there is one God
– is repeated over and over again in the Quran, in the sayings of


 Best decision they ever made 199

Prophet Muhammad (bpuh), and in the prayers of ordinary

Muslims. If the trinity were the true essence of God, wouldn’t it
have been clearly explained and mentioned over and over again?
In Islam, God is just; He does not hold any of us
accountable for the sins of another, which we had nothing to do
with. There is no concept of original sin or of a crucifixion
required to redeem all of us from that original sin perpetrated by
someone else.
Of course, there were aspects that made me reluctant to make
such a momentous change in my life. For example, although I
understood the purpose and the benefits of Islamic dress, I couldn’t
imagine wearing it myself until I attended a Ramadan dinner at an
organization for English-speaking Muslim women and met dozens
of Western women who had converted to Islam, and who felt
proud to dress this way.
For all the reasons mentioned above, and under no pressure
from anyone, I came to the conclusion that the Quran was the word
of God, and that Islam was the true religion.
On the day that I decided I was ready to officially declare my
Islamic faith, I asked a co-worker to help me do so officially.
There is actually no requirement to say this publicly or to get any
kind of certificate; the declaration of faith is simply a matter of
testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and
that Muhammad (bpuh) is his Messenger. It was a very moving
experience, since I was essentially starting life over again, with a
clean slate. It was undoubtedly the best decision I’ve ever made.
When we returned to the office, I went back to my desk and
resumed work. It didn’t occur to me that this was anything but a
personal decision, and no one even knew that I was considering
it… but my friend informed everyone, and to my surprise, I
received congratulations from well-wishers for the rest of the day.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

200 Who deserves to be worshipped?

That evening, she invited me to her aunt’s house, and with only a
few hours’ notice, her mother, sisters, aunts, and cousins (most of
whom I’d never met before) had a party for me, complete with
gifts of Qurans, prayer dresses, gold, etc. Over the next days and
weeks, I received dozens of gifts from co-workers (some of whom
I had never met), friends, and acquaintances. I was very blessed,
for I know that others who embrace Islam sometimes encounter
many hardships.
In my feminist years, we spoke of ‘sisterhood’, but this was
my introduction to true sisterhood. Muslim women considered me
their sister, simply for the sake of Allah (God). Over the years, I’ve
met so many amazing Muslim women of all nationalities and
classes and educational backgrounds, and in our gatherings, we
often talk about how blessed we are and how different our lives are
from what many people think. It’s hard to describe the feeling of
standing in prayer, shoulder to shoulder with so many different
women, knowing that we are sisters in Islam whether or not we
even know each other.
It took me several weeks to build up the courage to wear the
hijab (Islamic headscarf), but I found it liberating in a way that I
hadn’t expected. I was worried when I travelled to the U.S.
wearing the hijab soon after becoming Muslim, but I needn’t have
been. Everywhere I went, I was greeted by other Muslims with the
Islamic greeting Assalamu alaykum (Peace be upon you). I felt
welcomed as a part of the worldwide Muslim community, and the
hijab was what made that possible; if I wasn’t wearing it, other
Muslims would not have recognized that I was also Muslim and
would not have offered those greetings.
I don’t mean to claim that the Muslim community is some sort
of utopia. Certainly, there are problems, but the problems are not
from Islam; on the contrary, they are due to ignorance and


 Best decision they ever made 201

rejection of Islamic beliefs and practices. The reality is that Islam

does not need a reformation; Muslims do.

Other Muslims who were formerly Christians

There are many Christian women and men from all backgrounds who
have embraced Islam. The following is just a small sample of well-
known contemporary Muslims who sincerely studied Christianity
before rejecting it in favour of Islam. They were chosen because their
stories (as well as their books, articles, and videos) are easily
accessible online in English.
Dr Jerald Dirks is an American former Methodist deacon
(minister) with a Master's in Divinity from Harvard University and a
PhD in Psychology from the University of Denver. The more he
studied the Bible, the more he realized that he could not accept
Christian teachings, and the more he dreaded going back to preaching
what he knew was not true. When he took his questions to other
ministers whom he respected, some of them admitted (behind closed
doors) that they agreed with him, but they could not abandon their
religion without breaking up their families and cutting off their
livelihoods. Dr Dirks, along with his wife Debra, realized that Islam
was the religion that actually followed the message brought by Jesus
(pbuh) and other Prophets of God. Read more about them at
http://www.jeralddirksanddebradirks.com/.
Yusha (Joshua) Evans was attending a Bible College in the
southern United States, learning to read the Bible in Hebrew and
Greek and intending to become a Christian missionary or minister.
After reading the Bible cover-to-cover six or seven times, he was left
wondering at the inaccuracies and inconsistencies he noticed. He left
Christianity and began searching for the truth, but no religion satisfied
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

202 Who deserves to be worshipped?

him until he found Islam. See more about him at

https://yushaevans.com/.
Aminah Assilmi (d. 2010, may Allah have mercy on her) was an
American Baptist who found herself in a class with some Arab
Muslims and decided to try to convert them to Christianity. When her
attempts failed, she asked for a copy of their Quran so that she could
read it and show them the error of their ways. After one and a half
years of research, she ended up embracing Islam instead.
Dr David Liepert is a Canadian anaesthesiologist who started
studying Islam with the intention of showing his Muslim colleagues
that they were wrong and that Christianity was the truth. He sought to
prove this by studying the Bible and trying to answer his own
questions... yet he couldn't find the evidence to support his beliefs. His
story is narrated in Choosing Faith: Rediscovering the Commonalities
Between Christianity & Islam, which is available online at
http://www.choosingfaith.com/.
Idris Tawfiq (d. 2016, may Allah have mercy on him) was a
British writer and broadcaster who touched the hearts of many. He
had a degree in English Language and Literature and taught in both
the UK and Egypt. He also had a degree in Sacred Theology from the
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome; before
embracing Islam, Idris was a Roman Catholic priest.


28. TO SUM IT UP…

Theandcreation and existence of everything in this world has a purpose

wisdom behind it. Human beings are the most superior
creation because Allah has given them the intellect, has created
everything for them, and has given them power and knowledge over
most of the creation. There is obviously a specific purpose behind
their existence, and this has been elaborated in this book.
Wise people are expected to behave and act in accordance with the
purpose of their existence; they should not remain oblivious to the
final destination, which they are going to reach one day or another.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

29. CONCLUSION

T he following twenty-five facts were discussed in this book:

First, the purpose of creation is to worship Allah alone.
Second, the basic message of Islam is to worship Allah alone,
without any intercessor or mediator. Any form of worship that is not
dedicated to Allah alone will be rejected for being a form of
polytheism, which amounts to apostasy from the Islamic point of
view.
Third, the evidence that only Allah has the right to be worshipped
was elaborated.
Fourth, Islam is a restatement of the basic message of all religions:
worship Allah alone. It is the last religion, for all people and for all
times. So all people―whether they were raised as Jews, Christians,
Hindus, atheists, or with any other creed―should follow Islam once
they hear about it, pronouncing the testimony right away to become
Muslim without further delay. Whoever rejects it has rejected the
message of Allah, and accordingly will be cast into hell. Such people
cannot expect guidance after they have deliberately renounced
guidance.
Fifth, Islam’s belief system is uniquely rational, simple, and
uncomplicated. It rejects all forms of polytheism and false beliefs.
Sixth, both the divine origin of the name of the religion ‘Islam’ and
the comprehensiveness of its meaning point to its truth.
Seventh, the message of false religions is paganism (the worship of
creatures, rather than the Creator).
Eighth, Islam is the only religion today that teaches the right
concept of Allah, free of any confusion or irrational facts.
Ninth, Islam’s basic principles and characteristics point to its truth.


 Conclusion 205

Tenth, indeed, Islam is the only religion that fights extremism—

whether that extremism comes from secularism and materialism or
from excessive spiritualism. Islam ensures a balance among spiritual,
moral, and materialistic needs. It is truly the middle path and is a
perfectly balanced way of life. This should not be surprising, because
Islamic teachings are not man-made; they have been revealed to
humanity by Allah the Creator, the Most Wise and Most
Knowledgeable.
Eleventh, the truth of every religion depends on its original
revelation from Allah having been accurately preserved. This rule is
only satisfied by Islamic teachings. The Quran is the final word of
Allah, which has been preserved throughout the ages; hence it
supersedes all previous scriptures.
Twelfth, Islam is the final religion, intended for all humankind.
Everyone therefore should embrace it.
Thirteenth, Allah and His creation are totally different entities. He
is One, distinct from His creations.
Fourteenth, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) was sent to all people. He
is the last prophet, and his teaching, Islam, will remain the only
correct and authentically revealed teaching until the Day of
Judgement.
Fifteenth, prophets were human beings chosen and sent by Allah to
convey and revive the original message: worship of Allah alone
(monotheism) and being careful not to worship anything other than
Him. Prophets were living examples of how the scriptures were to be
understood and implemented.
Sixteenth, the reality of the prophets and their uniform message are
revived and can only be found preserved in Islamic teachings,
manifested in the Quran and the statements and actions of Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh). These are the only authentic and proven resource
documents today that preserve the essence of their message. They
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

206 Who deserves to be worshipped?

guide those who follow it to a way of life that is more consistent with
the way of life of Jesus and Moses than that which is practiced by
most Christians and Jews today. They guide to the love and respect of
Jesus, Moses, and all the other prophets (may Allah’s blessings be
upon them all).
Seventeenth, Islam considers disrespect of any prophet as stepping
out of the boundaries of Islam.
Eighteenth, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virtuous woman,
honoured above the women of all nations in that time.
Nineteenth, it has been proven that the Bible is widely distorted;
this implies that Christianity has been distorted as well, as is evident
from several doctrines introduced by humans into Christianity, which
resulted in its deviation from pure monotheism into tri-theism within
the first 400 years after Jesus’ ascension. It should be noted that those
who followed the scriptures in their pure and unadulterated forms, and
then died before hearing the message of Islam, were considered to
have been on the right religion, and they will have nothing to fear on
the Day of Judgement.
Twentieth, oral traditions passed on for generations were
substantially changed from the original message. People who had
never even seen Jesus began to write books focusing on his
personality more than his message. These articles became overly
exaggerated, losing the true essence of his existence and message
while they exalted him to extreme heights. This then posed a problem
for Christianity as divisions arose in the doctrine, with different
groups each espousing their own theories and explanations. This
resulted in variant notions of the crucifixion, the Trinity, the divinity
of Jesus, the divine sonship of Christ, original sin, and atonement. The
following cardinal doctrines of Christianity are rejected by Islam:
• The Trinity
• The divinity of Jesus


 Conclusion 207

• The notion that Jesus is the son of God

• Original sin
• Atonement (reconciliation between God and humankind brought
about by the life and death of Jesus)
• Crucifixion and redemption (salvation from sin through Jesus’
sacrifice)
Twenty-first, the popular Christian concept of salvation is
inaccurate. The true way to achieve salvation is to do good deeds, to
avoid and repent from sins, and to follow the commandments
mentioned in the scriptures, sealed and superseded by the Quran.
Islam teaches that sin cannot be transferred from one person to
another, and it cannot be inherited. Each person is accountable for his
or her own deeds and will be rewarded accordingly. Allah has
mentioned:

{And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while

being a believer,113 those will enter paradise and will not be wronged
[even so much as] the speck on a date seed.} (Quran 4: 124)

Twenty-second, there is evidence in many places in the Old and

New Testaments (in their present form) that Prophet Muhammad
(bpuh) was mentioned by his illustrious predecessors, namely
Prophets Jesus and Moses (may Allah’s blessings be upon them).
With this decisive and factual evidence, it is only befitting that sincere
Christians and Jews accept Islam as a continuation of the prophets’
legacy left by all the messengers and prophets. Just as one cannot be a
Muslim until he or she believes in Muhammad (bpuh) and all the
prophets sent before him, no one is a true Jew or Christian until he or
she believes in Muhammad, the prophet prophesied in both the Old

113 A believer in the six pillars of faith, which are mentioned in Chapter 9:
The Six Articles of Islamic Faith.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

208 Who deserves to be worshipped?

and New Testaments; hence, Jews and Christians should enter Islam’s
fold wholeheartedly.
Twenty-third, the way to please Allah has been detailed for us.
The Quran defines it clearly, and the Prophet (bpuh) gives us details at
every point.
Twenty-fourth, God (Allah) is One, His message is one, and the
way to Him is one: namely Islam. Allah has specified in the Quran:

{And [moreover] this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and

do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way.
This has He instructed you that you may become righteous.}
(Quran 6: 153)

Twenty-fifth—last but not least—Islam is your birthright. Yes,

you read correctly. Islam is your right. Every human being is born
into the religion of Islam, and human beings are naturally drawn to
what we already know. Thus, if you accept Islam, you are not turning
your back on any prior revelation but rather returning to the original
pure belief with which you were created. This being the case, Islam is
your birthright, whereas other religious or ideological systems teach
you to deviate from the pure belief with which you were created.
These are the twenty-five basic components which logically and
rationally dictate that Islam should be considered the last and true
religion of Allah.


REMEMBER THIS

Toobjective
accurately identify the true religion, you must maintain an
point of view, one which does not allow your emotions
to cloud your vision and thereby blind you to the truth. Indeed, you
must look at all issues rationally so that you can separate truth from
falsehood; then make a judgment and follow it with sincere prayers
asking the Almighty to guide you to the right path.
Now that you have read this book and examined the evidence
regarding the truthfulness of Islam, I pray to God Almighty that you
can and will make the right choice! I invite you to choose Islam as
your way of life and to get yourself on the right path! La ilaha illa
Allah (There is no deity worthy of worship except God),
Muhammadan Rasool Allah (Muhammad is the Messenger of God).
May the light of truth shine in our minds and in our hearts. May it
lead us to peace and certitude in this life and to eternal bliss in the
hereafter.
Kind regards,
Majed S. Al-Rassi
Phone: 966 50 5906761
e-mail: [email protected]
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abdul Razak, Imam Jamil. Study Guide, Comparative Study — Islam
and Christianity. Washington, USA: Center of Seattle, 1978.
Badawi, Dr Jamal. Muhammad in the Bible. Halifax, Canada: Islamic
Information Foundation (IIF).
Bucaille, Maurice. The Quran and Modern Science. Riyadh:
International Islamic Publishing House, 2001.
Caraballo, Simon (Muhammad bin Abdullah Caraballo). My Great
Love for Jesus Led Me to Islam. Jubail, KSA: Dawah & Guidance
Centre.
Deedat, Ahmed. Christ in Islam (peace be upon him). Durban, RSA:
Islamic Propagation Centre International.
______. What the Bible Says About Muhammad.
Dummelow, John R. Commentary on the Holy Bible. UK: Macmillan
Publishers Limited, 1970.
Hammad, Ahmad Zaki. The Gracious Quran. Lisle, IL: Lucent
Interpretations, LLC, 2008.
Harrington, Daniel. “Who Killed Jesus?” in Scriptures from Scratch.
St. Anthony Messenger Press. Accessed online at
http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/SFS/an0399.asp.
Ibrahim, I. A. A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam.
Houston, TX: Darussalam, 1997. (Available at www.islam-
guide.com.)
al-Johani, Dr Manee H. The Truth about Jesus. World Assembly of
Muslim Youth (WAMY).
Liepert, David. Choosing Faith. Riyadh: International Islamic
Publishing House, 2011. (Available online at
http://www.choosingfaith.com/.)
Parrinder, Geoffrey. World Religions: From Ancient History to the
Present. New York: Checkmark Books, 1985.
Philips, Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal. The True Message of Jesus Christ.
Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House.
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

212 Who deserves to be worshipped?

______. The True Religion. Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing

House.
al-Rassi, Majed. Islam Is Your Birthright. Riyadh: International
Islamic Publishing House, 2016.
Saheeh International. The Quran: Arabic Text with Corresponding
English Meanings. Jeddah: Abul Qasim Publishing House, 1997.
Shaw, George Bernard. The Genuine Islam. Singapore, 1936.
The Holy Quran: English Translation of the Meaning and
Commentary. King Fahd Holy Quran Printing Complex.
al-Uthaymeen, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih. Explanation of the
Three Fundamental Principles of Islaam. UK: Al-Hidaayah
Publishing and Distribution, 1997.


APPENDIX

For Further Information about Islam

❖ Arfaj, Dr Naji I. Discover Its Beauty in 7 Minutes Series.

http://discoveritsbeauty.com/.
❖ Ata ur-Rahim, Muhammad and Ahmad Thomson. Jesus: Prophet
of Islam. Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2008.
❖ Baagil, M. Christian-Muslim Dialogue. Riyadh: International
Islamic Publishing House.
❖ Khan, Maulana Wahiduddin. God Arises. Riyadh: International
Islamic Publishing House, 2005.
❖ Khan, Abdul Waheed. The Personality of Allah’s Last Messenger,
2nd ed. Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2007.
❖ LeBlanc, Abdul-Malik. The Bible Led Me to Islam. Toronto: Al-
Attique Publisher.
❖ Philips, Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal. The Purpose of Creation. Riyadh:
International Islamic Publishing House.

Online Information about Islam

❖ islam-guide.com
❖ iera.org
❖ islamtomorrow.com
❖ discoveritsbeauty.com
❖ edialogue.org (live chat)
❖ islamhouse.com/en/ (thousands of free books)
❖ iera.org/shop/ (free downloads)
❖ iiph.com
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

GLOSSARY OF ISLAMIC TERMS

Abu (or abi) father (of)

alhamdulillah all praise is due to Allah

Allahu akbar Allah is the Greatest

Arafah the plain outside of Makkah where pilgrims gather at

(or Arafat) the climax of the Hajj; Mount Arafah falls inside that
plain. It is the mountain beside which Prophet
Muhammad (bpuh) stood when he made his Hajj.

Bayt al- the Islamic name for Jerusalem

Maqdis

bismillah in the name of Allah

Hadith the collected statements and actions of Prophet

Muhammad (bpuh) that with the Quran form the
basis of Islamic law

hadith a statement or action of Prophet Muhammad (bpuh)

that was remembered and recorded by his
Companions and followers

Hajj the major pilgrimage to the Sacred Mosque, site of

the Kaaba in Makkah, to be undertaken by every
able Muslim once in his or her lifetime

hijab veil ordained by Allah for believing women

114 If a word has become part of the English language (i.e., is found in a
dictionary of Standard English), that spelling is used in this book.


 Glossary of Islamic terms 215

jinn (sg. jinni) non-human, rational beings created by Allah from

fire, often referred to as ‘demons’ or ‘devils’. They
have free will like humans; some are Muslims,
others disbelievers; some are obedient to Allah,
others disobedient. Satan is a jinni. Some people try
to ‘foretell’ the future by contacting a jinni. Some
disobedient jinn mislead people into thinking that
they can tell them what will happen in the future,
near or far, or that the jinn can provide people with
riches or some sort of power.

jizyah a tax paid by Christians and Jews living under

Muslim protection. (The Muslims do not pay jizyah,
but they must give a percentage of personal wealth
as obligatory charity to designated categories of
recipients, such as the poor and the needy.)

Kaaba the House of Allah in Makkah, originally built by

Prophets Abraham and Ishmael

mahram a degree of consanguinity precluding marriage; a

man whom a woman may not marry due to the close
blood or marriage relationship, e.g., her father,
brother, son, uncle, or father-in-law

Ramadan the ninth month in the Islamic calendar; the month of

obligatory fasting

shahadah ‫الشهادة‬
the Islamic testimony,
testimony esp.
of faith:
the Islamic
Ash-hadu
testimony
al-la ilâha
of faith: Lâ ilâha
illa Allah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Abduhu
wa Rasooluhu. (I testify that there is no deity worthy
of worship except Allah, and I testify that
Muhammad is His slave and messenger.)

Sharia Islamic law derived from the Quran and the

statements and actions of the Prophet (bpuh)
 ‫ﺷﺒﻜﺔ‬
www.alukah.net

216 Who deserves to be worshipped?

siwak (or a small twig (usu. of the arak tree) used as a natural
miswak) toothbrush

taghoot idols; everything evil that is worshipped

zakah obligatory charity payable by Muslims, to be

distributed to poor Muslims who qualify as
recipients

