The Qur’an

“The Statement of Mohammed”

Sura 46

The Sandhills

9. Say: I am not the first of the apostles, and I do not know what will be done with me or with you: I do not follow anything but that which is revealed to me, and I am nothing but a plain warner.
10. Say: Have you considered if it is from Allah, and you disbelieve in it, and a witness from among the children of Israel has borne witness of one like it, so he believed, while you are big with pride; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.

Sura 2

The Cow

136. Say: We believe in Allah and (in) that which had been revealed to us, and (in) that which was revealed to Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq and Yaqoub and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Musa and Isa, and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit.

Sura 5

The Dinner Table

48. And We have revealed to you the Book with the truth, verifying what is before it of the Book and a guardian over it, therefore judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires (to turn away) from the truth that has come to you; for every one of you did We appoint a law and a way, and if Allah had pleased He would have made you (all) a single people, but that He might try you in what He gave you, therefore strive with one another to hasten to virtuous deeds; to Allah is your return, of all (of you), so He will let you know that in which you differed;

Sura 23

The Believers

116. So exalted be Allah, the True King; no god is there but He, the Lord of the honorable dominion.
117. And whoever invokes with Allah another god-- he has no proof of this-- his reckoning is only with his Lord; surely the unbelievers shall not be successful.

Sura 29

The Spider

45. Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do.
46. And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him do we submit.

The Bible

“The Statement of Jesus”

John

Chapter 14

1. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

COMMENTARY

In the Qur’an:

1. Here we have a very bold statement for every Muslim believer: to believe in that “which was revealed” to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and even Jesus! It summarizes the Old and the New Testaments, but never in the Qur’an do we find a command to search these Scriptures. It is actually the opposite: the Qur’an admonishes the reader to not believe the Bible, for it has been corrupted. Therefore Muslims have only one way to know about that which “was revealed” and that way can only be through the Qur’an.  Although the Qur’an contains small portions of Biblical stories, in most cases it contradicts the Bible in small details, as well as in major topics.

2. A significant statement of Mohammed’s clarifies his position: “I do not know what will be done with me or with you:”

3. Mohammed said that he is the first to submit himself (to Allah). The word “submit” is also interpreted as the word  “Muslim”.

In several places, the Qur’an states that before Mohammed’s time, all prophets and many believers were submitted to God, or in other words, were “Muslims”. For example:

Sura 5

44. Surely We revealed the Taurat in which was guidance and light; with it the prophets who submitted themselves (to Allah) judged (matters) for those who were Jews, and the masters of Divine knowledge and the doctors, because they were required to guard (part) of the Book of Allah, and they were witnesses thereof; therefore fear not the people and fear Me, and do not take a small price for My communications; and whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the unbelievers.

110. When Allah will say: O Isa son of Marium! Remember My favor on you and on your mother, when I strengthened you  with the holy Spirit, you spoke to the people in the cradle and  when of old age, and when I taught you the Book and the wisdom and the Taurat and the Injeel; and when you determined out of clay a thing like the form of a bird by My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission, and you healed the blind and the leprous by My permission; and when you brought forth the dead by My permission; and when I withheld the children of Israel from you when you came to them with clear arguments, but those who disbelieved among them said: This is nothing but clear enchantment.

111. And when I revealed to the disciples, saying, Believe in Me and My apostle, they said: We believe and bear witness that we submit (ourselves).

Sura 10

84. And Musa said: O my people! if you believe in Allah, then rely on Him (alone) if you submit (to Allah).

90. And We made the children of Israel to pass through the sea, then Firon and his hosts followed them for oppression and tyranny; until when drowning overtook him, he said: I believe that there is no god but He in Whom the children of Israel believe and I am of those who submit. 

In the Bible:

1. The Bible is the final revelation to mankind from God. We do not need to be guided by new laws such as Shariah, etc. God already gave us His plan of redemption through the atoning death of His Son, as written clearly in the Bible.

2. A) Compare that with the statement of Jesus:

John, Chapter 14:6

 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me…

As Jesus said about the false prophet:

Luke, Chapter 6:29

… And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

B) Also all believers in Jesus have the assurance of eternal life:

First John, Chapter 5:13

… These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

3. The name “Allah” was unknown to the Hebrews and Christians until Mohammed introduced Him to the Arabs as the one and only God, and Mohammed had to be the first Muslim on this planet.

There is a theory that the root of the name “Allah” is the equivalent of the Hebrew word El, which means “god”. But according to the Hebrew Scriptures, one can call God ‘El ‘Olam (the Eternal God), ‘El ‘Elyon (the Most High God), ‘Elohe Sabaoth (God of Hosts), for example, and at the same time refer to one of the pagan gods as El Murdock.  Therefore, the word ’El is not exclusively the title or name for only one “god”.

In the Arabic language, the word Allah consists of two words:

“Al”- means “The” and “Ilah”- meaning “Divinity” or “God”. This leads us to accept another possibility: this name “Allah” could be unique and have no connection with Hebrew or any other language.

In spite of the name’s origin, Allah was worshipped alongside with other pagan gods or idols in Kaaba. There is no evidence that either Christians or Jews ever made pilgrimages to Mecca. Based on this fact, they simply never regarded Allah or other idols as gods.