Archive for Teachings and Beliefs
An Evaluation of the Qur’an
Posted by: | CommentsThe Qur’an is at the heart of Islam. If its claims can be substantiated, then Islam is true and all opposing religious claims, including those of Judaism and Christianity, are false. As we saw in Chapter 5, the Qur’an claims to be the verbally inspired Word of God, copied from the original in heaven. Furthermore, other religious claims to the contrary, the Qur’an claims to be the full and final revelation of God through Muhammad, the last and greatest of the prophets who supersedes Moses, Jesus, and all other prophets before him.
An Evaluation of Muhammad
Posted by: | CommentsWe have already set forth the Muslim belief that Muhammad is the last of the prophets, who brought forth the full and final revelation of God to humankind (see Chapter 4). The fact that the Qur’an declares itself to be God’s last word, superseding all other revelations and religions—indeed, the claim that Muhammad is a prophet of God, a belief held by one-fifth of the world’s population—commands our attention.
Muhammad’s Prophetic Claim
The Nature of a Prophet
In order to properly evaluate Muhammad’s claim to be a prophet of God, we need to review what is meant by a prophet.
Who Was Muhammad?
Posted by: | CommentsAs pointed out by Ibn Warraq in his landmark work, The Quest for the Historical Muhammad, the “Muhammad” of faith and religion is not the Muhammad of fact and history. Modern Muslims have a legendary and mythological view of the character and life of Muhammad that is in direct contradiction of all the historical accounts.
Solution to Terrorism
Posted by: | CommentsIt is Time for Tough Love
America is at war whether we like it or not. The days to come do not bode well for the property and lives of Americans overseas or here at home. The specter of a nuclear and biological attack looms large on the horizon. Liberals are more concerned about protecting the feelings of Muslims than protecting the lives of Americans. If loyal Americans do not rise up and demand that the present government fulfill its constitutional duty to protect the lives and property of the citizens of this great land, who will?
Top Questions About Islam
Posted by: | CommentsQuestion #l—Is “Allah” just another name for God?
Answer: Yes and No. It all depends on what you mean by “Allah.” If you view it as a generic term, this means it is an empty term denoting nothing except the bare concept of “deity.” When a word can mean anything and everything, then it means nothing. The Hindu pantheist could use the word “Allah” to describe the entire universe. Louis Farrakhan uses it to describe himself. It can be applied to idols.
Four Faces of Islam
Posted by: | CommentsFour Faces of Islam: Before and After the Terrorist Attack upon America
Introduction
After teaching Muslim clergy at the Faculty of Islamic Theology of the University of Teheran, Iran, during 1968–1974, and after attending preaching and praying events in dozens of mosques around the world, and after hours of discussions with Muslims in their homes and mosques and around tables of food and cups of tea, I am in agreement with Nobel Prize in Literature winner V. S. Naipaul when he writes, “Islam is not simply a matter of conscience or private belief. It makes imperial demands.”
The Doctrine of Heaven
Posted by: | CommentsThe Doctrine of Heaven (Paradise)
Behind the Veil of Islam
At best, the doctrine of heaven can be a source of inspiration, incentive and comfort. At its worst, the impetus to go to a particular heaven after death can be an effective tool for great evil, coercion and manipulation. Recent acts of terrorism have only too painfully revealed to us that if you can mesmerize a few radical extremists to believe in a certain heaven, you can get them to do anything. “In the 00’s, a decade known so far for its calamities, the question of what heaven is and who gets to go has taken on a new urgency. Suicide bombs and terrorists…often invoke heaven before they act and, afterward, the survivors invoke heaven to guide them forward.”
The Doctrine of Jesus and Jihad
Posted by: | CommentsThe Doctrine of Jesus and Jihad Behind the Veil of Islam
The Quran treats Jesus as a very important figure. It gives him a greater number of honorable titles than any other figure in the past. It calls him a ‘sign’, a ‘mercy’, a ‘witness’, an ‘example,’ ‘one who is upright,’ ‘one who is eminent,’ and ‘one brought nigh unto God.’ It gives him the titles Messiah, Son of Mary, Messenger, Prophet, Servant, Word of God, and a Spirit from God. He is the only prophet to have been born of a virgin and he did the greatest miracles of all the prophets. Jesus is also referred to in ninety verses scattered in 15 Surahs in the Quran. Yet with all of this respect, the Quran denies fundamental essentials of the historical Christian faith in regards to Jesus Christ. In so doing, Islam rejects his identity as the Savior and Lord of mankind.
Jesus in the Quran
Regarding the Birth of Jesus
Judgment and Hell Behind the Veil of Islam
Posted by: | CommentsThere are more than one billion people in the world who now claim to believe in the writings of the revelations given to the prophet Muhammad who lived in the 7th century AD. What does Islam teach about life after death, judgment, and hell?
Death is a great mystery to most people. According to Islam, at the moment of death, everyone knows his or her destiny; heaven or hell. In Islam, man is not seen as essentially fallen or sinful. Islam teaches that people are born innocent and remain so until each makes himself or herself guilty by a guilty deed. As a result, there is an all-pervasive Quranic concern and insistence on a day of judgment at the end of history when all will be held accountable for their beliefs and actions.
The Trinity And Christian Missions To Muslims
Posted by: | CommentsIslam has engaged the attention of Christians ever since its rise in Arabia in the seventh century. One obvious reason is the fact that most early Muslim conquests took place within Christian lands. “The People of the Book,” as Jews and Christians were called, faced the choice of adopting the faith of their conquerors, or of remaining in their particular religion. Those who persisted in their Christian commitment gave a reason for this decision. They could not, and would not forsake the biblical Messiah, their Lord and Savior. By implication, they refused to believe in the “heavenly” mission of Muhammad who claimed to be God’s final messenger commissioned to call the world to Islam. From the beginning of the Christian-Muslim encounter, the main debate centered on these fundamental teachings: the authenticity of the Christian Scriptures, the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
The Hamas Terrorist Covenant
Posted by: | CommentsThe terrorist organization "Hamas" is in the news almost daily. Many (including our current President Obama) are trying to force Israel to give in to the demands of Hamas. Hamas will never be satisfied until Israel (and her people) are destroyed – by any means necessary. Read their covenant below and see what you think!
The Real Meaning of Jihad!
Posted by: | Comments‘JIHAD’, the Real Meaning
‘Jehad’ (Jihad) is an Arabic word that literally means ‘endeavor’. In the literal historical context, this Islamic doctrine clearly implies physically fighting in the way of the Arabic God ‘Allah’ to establish supremacy over unbelievers, until they relinquish their faith and become Muslims, or acknowledge their subordination by paying the ‘Jaziya’ (or Jizya) humiliation tax. As will be shown in subsequent chapters, Jihad historically has been a perpetual war against infidels (Buddhists, Hindus, Deists, Pagans, Atheists, Skeptics, Jews, Christians, etc).
Does Islam Encourage Violence?
Posted by: | CommentsIslam and Violence
After the events of September 11, the issue of violence and religion has once again come into intense discussions and debate. It is our conviction that although various political, socioeconomic and cultural factors have significantly contributed to the rise of violence and terrorism in contemporary fundamentalist Islam, we cannot ignore the religious dimension of this violence that goes back to the very heart and origin of Islam.