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God's Last Messenger?

There are great contradictions between the Bible and the Quran. The stories of the Quran are distorted stories of the Bible.

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Chapter 2: Muhammad's Call

After Muhammad's marriage to Khadija, Bishop Waraka Ibn Nofal befriended him and set his mind to train and disciple Muhammad to succed him as the Ebionite Bishop of Mecca.  Muhammad's prosperous union with khadija gave him time for solitude at the cave fo Mount Hira in a suburb of Mecca.  It was there that Bishop Waraka began to teach and train him.

Bishop Waraka taught Muhammad many of the Old and New Testament stories of the Bible.  These stories are mentioned in the Quran with great distortion.  He also taught Muhammad about Jesus according to the Ebionites' belief, which as we mentioned before denies the deity of Christ.

One night when Muhammad was forty years old, he was alone in the cave of Hira when a spirit appeared to him at the door of the cave.  That spirit grasped him suddenly and squeezed him until he thought he would die and commanded him, "Read."

"I cannot read," Muhammad answered, because he was illiterate.  The spirit squeezed him again so tightly he that thought he would die, and commanded him again, "Read."  "I cannot read," he answered.  The The spirit tightened his grasp and squeezed him more and said for the third time, "Read."  Afraid that he might die, Muhammad said, "What shall I read?"  The spirit said:

    Read:  in the name of thy Lord who Createth.  Createth man from a clot.  Read: and thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, Who teacheth by the pen, Teacheth man that which he knew not  (Surat Al-Alaq 96:1-5 MPT)

Then the spirti disappeared.  Muhammad returned to his wife, frightened and in great distress.  He worried that what had happened to him was an hallucination or the appearance of a jinni.  The READER'S DIGEST ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIC DICTIONARY defines the word "Jinni" as follows:

    Jinni: (plural Jinn) in Muslim legend, a spirit capable   assuming human or animal form and exercising supernatural influence over man.

Muhammad asked Khadija to cover him for he was shivering.
Khadija covered him, suprised by his fear, his shivering, and his pale face.

Khadija took Mohammad to her cousin, Bishop Waraka Ibn Nofal, who declared his belief that Muhammad was chosen to be the prophet of his people.  Keep in mind it was an Ebionite Bishop who declared that Muhammad was a prophet!  Muhammad declared in his Quran in Surat Al-Imran 3:19:

The religion before Allah is Islam.

Again in verse 85 of the same Surat:

    If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him; and in the hereafter he    will be in the ranks of those who have lost.

In Surat Al-Ahzab 33:40 we read:

    Muhammad is . . . the Messenger of Allah and the Seal    of the Prophets.

Analysis Of Muhammad's Call [TOP]

At this point we have to analyze Muhammad's call to decide if he is a true or a false prophet.  We will address this issue with the following questions:

First:  Since Islam is the only religion accepted before Allah and Muhammad is the seal of the prophets as the Quran declares, why was it that the call of Muhammad came through that spirit and not by a direct call from God?

Moses, the founder of Judaism, received a direct call from God.  God spoke to him from the midst of the burning bush (Exodus  3:1-10).  The Quran declares in Surat Al-Nisa 4:164:

    And to Moses Allah spoke direct.

If Islam is superior to Judaism and Christianity, Muhammad should have received a direct call from God.  Instead, he passed through that terrible experience at the cave of Hira when the spirit squeezed him, and he thought he would die.

Second:  Who will testify concerning that call?  Muhammad was the only witness to that experience.  One witness is not acceptable in substantiating such a claim.

God said in the book of Deuteronomy 19:15:

    By the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

Jesus Christ said to the Jews of his days:

    If I bear witness of Myself, my witness is not true. There is another that bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. . . But I have a greater witness than John's,  for the works which the Father has given me to finish - the very works that I do - bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. . . You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me (John 5:31-39 NKJ).

Christ has four witness:

  • The testimony of John the Baptist.
  • The testimony of the miracles He performed.
  • The testimony of the Heavenly Father.
  • The testimony of the prophetic word.
Muhammad is the only witness for himself.  We cannot accept his sole testimony.
Third: God authenticated the call of Moses with miracles and He   witnessed concerning His Son, Jesus Christ, with miracles.  Why was it that Muhammad was unable to perform miracles?

Concerning Moses' miracles, the Bible says:

    Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham. . .
    He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen. They performed His signs (miracles) among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.  He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they did not rebel against His word.  He turned their waters into blood, and killed their fish. Their land abounded with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.  He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and lice in all their territory.  He have them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.  He struck their vines also and their fig trees, and splintered the trees of their territory.  He spoke, and locust came, young locusts without number, and ate up all vegetation in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.  He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, the first of all their strength.
    (Psalms 105:23, 26-36 NKJ).

The Quran declares:

    To Moses We did give nine Clear signs (miracles)
    (Surat Al-Isra 17:101).

The Bible recorded ten miracles, not nine.

We also read about Jesus' miracles in the New Testament.  Jesus said to His disciples:

    Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves (John 14:11 NKJ).

In his Gospel, the apostle John recorded many miracles Jesus performed.  At the end of his Gospel he says:

    And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:30, 31 NKJ).

The Quran also declares that Jesus Christ performed many miracles.  He healed the man who was born blind, and the leper, and raised the dead (Surat Al-Imran 3:49).

But Muhammad declared that he could not perform any miracles.  The Quran does not mention a single miracle attributed to him.  The Quran declares in Surat Al-Ankabut 29:50:

    Yet they say:  "Why are not signs sent down to him from his Lord?"  Say (Muhammad):  "The signs are indeed with Allah and I am indeed a clear warner."

In Surat Al-Isra Muhammad's contemporaries asked him to perform a miracle so that they could believe in him.  Muhammad answered:

    Glory to my Lord!  Am I aught but a man, a messenger
    (Surat Al-Isra 17:93).

Muhammad's call was not authenticated by miracles.

Who Was The Spirit That Squeezed Muhammad At The Cave?

It is of great importance to identify the spirit who squeezed Muhammad at the cave of Hira near Mecca.

After his encounter with the spirit, Muhammad was afraid that what happened to him was from a Jinni.  Then later, Muhammad declared in the Quran that the spirit who squeezed him was the angel Gabriel.  We read in Surat Al-Baqarah 2:97:

    Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - for he brings down the (revelation) to the heart by Allah's will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe.

Was the spirit really the angel Gabriel? [TOP]

The answer is:  Absolutely not!

First:  Had the spirit been Gabriel, he would have calmed Muhammad and relieved his fear.  But the spirit left him in extreme distress.

Gabriel appeared to many people before his alleged visit to Muhammad and each time the first thing he did was to allay that person's fear.

Gabriel appeared to the prophet Daniel.  Daniel was afraid but Gabriel touched him, he did not squeeze him, he only touched him:

    And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, "Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision."  So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face. . . but he touched me, and set me upright. . . (Daniel 8:16-18).

Gabriel appeared to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, who is called Yihia in the Quran; he identified himself and said to Zacharias:

    Do not be afraid, Zacharias...  I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God (Luke 1:13, 19).

Gabriel appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Mary was greatly troubled but Gabriel said to her:

    Do not be afraid, Mary (Luke 1:30).

But the spirit who squeezed Muhammad left him frightened and in great distress.  Therefore the spirit could not have been the angel Gabriel.

Second:  Had the spirit been Gabriel, he would not have contradicted his former revelations.

Six hundred years before Muhammad, Gabriel said to Mary when he appeared to her:

    The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:  therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called Son of God (Luke 1:35).

But the spirit who appeared to Muhammad said to him:

    ...and the Christians say:  The Messiah is the son of  Allah.  That is their saying with their mouths.  They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved (literally those who are infidels) of old.  Allah (Himself) fighteth against them.  How perverse are they
    (Surat Al-Tawbah 9:30 MPT).

Gabriel said to Mary that Jesus would be called the Son of God.  The spirit who gave the revelations to Muhammad said that this is the saying of the infidels, and declares that Allah Himself fights against the Christians who confess that Jesus is the Son of God.

Was the spirit really the angel Gabriel?  Could Gabriel contradict himself in such an important matter?

Third:  Had the spirit been Gabriel, Khadija would have believed Muhammad's testimony and would not have tested the spirit the way she did.

We are told by Ibn Hesham, who wrote Muhammad's biography, that Khadija tested the spirit who squeezed Muhammad.  She said to Muhammad:

    "Would you please tell me when the spirit comes to you?"  When Muhammad told her of the spirit's arrival, Khadija said "Muhammad, sit on my left thigh." Muhammad sat on her left thigh.  "Do you see the spirit?"  she asked.  "Yes." "Then sit on my right thigh."  Muhammad sat on her right thigh.  "Do you see the spirit?" she asked.  "Yes," he answered.  "Then sit on my lap." Muhammad sat on her lap.  "Do you see the spirit?"  she asked.  "Yes," he answered.  Khadija uncovered a feminine part of her body while Muhammad was sitting on her lap. "Do you see the spirit?"  "No,"  he answered.  Then Khadija said, "Muhammad, that   spirit is an angel, not a devil" (Ibn Hesham, part 2, pages 74, 75).

What a strange way to test a spirit!

Fourth:  Had the spirit been Gabriel he would not have given a false scientific revelation to Muhammad.

The spirit said to Muhammad:

    Read:  in the name of thy Lord who Createth. Createth man from a clot (Surat Al-Alaq 96:1-5).

These words are scientifically wrong.  Professor Haanein Muhammad Makhloof, on page 508 of his Dictionary of the Meanings of Words of the Quran, says that the Arabic word "alaq" translated into English as "clot" means frozen blood.
Man was created from the dust of the ground, not from frozen blood.  Even the Quran states this fact:

    Behold, thy Lord said to the angels:  "I am about to create man from clay.  When I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in prostration unto him" (Surat Sad 38:71, 72).

Here the Quran contradicts itself.  In one instance it says that many was created from "a clot" which means "frozen blood," while in another it says that man was created from "clay."  The fact is, man was created from the dust of the ground as the Bible states.

Dr. William Campbell in his book, The Quran and The Bible, says on page 185:

    As every reader who has studied human reproduction will realize, there is no state as a clot during formation a fetus, so this a very major scientific problem.

Would the angel Gabriel make such a scientific error?

Fifth: Had the spirit been Gabriel, he would have taught Mohammad to read and write.

The Quran declares that Allah taught Jesus how to write.  In Surat Al-Imran 3:48 it is said concerning Jesus:

    And Allah will teach him the book and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel.

Ibn Katheir in his exposition of the Quran (Vol. 1, page 344), says:

    The book mentioned here means writing.

We would expect that Muhammad, who calls himself the seal of the prophets, would be taught to read and write.  The spirit said in his revelation to Muhammad:

    Read; and thy Lord the Most Bounteous, who teaches by the pen, teacheth man that which he knew not (Surat Al-Alaq 96:3-4).

The question is, if God teaches man that which he knew not by the pen, why did He not teach Muhammad how to read and write, instead of leaving him illiterate all his life?
There came a time when Muhammad was in doubt concerning the revelations he received from the spirit.  The Quran recorded:

    If thou wert in doubt as to what we have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book   from before thee: The truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord; so be in no wise of those in doubt (Surat Yunus 10:94).

The "Book" mentioned in this verse is the Bible, and that shows very clearly that the Bible was the final authority for Muhammad even when he was in doubt.  If Muhammad had been a learned man he would have known the truth directly from the Bible.  But the spirit left him illiterate.

Muhammad had the right to be in doubt of the revelations given to him by the spirit which appeared to him at the cave of Hira, for that spirit was not the angel Gabriel.  If he was a learned man, he would have known what the New Testament says concerning Satan:

    And no Wonder!  For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14 NKJ).

It is obvious that Muhammad was totally deceived, for he was illiterate, and could not search for the truth as it is recorded in the Holy Scriptures which were available in his time.

Muhammad's Call Was Not Like the Call Of Moses Or Jesus, [TOP]
Who Were Sent On A Special Mission

Moses' mission as expressed in the Bible was:

    Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10 NKJ).

We know that Moses fulfilled his mission to the letter.  Jesus Christ declared His own mission in these words:

    The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18, 19 NKJ).

The spirit who squeezed Muhammad did not assign to him any special mission.  He merely said to him:

    Read: In the name of thy Lord who Createth,
    Createth man from a clot (Surat Al-Alaq 96:1-5).

Muhammad Does Not Pass The Test Of A True Prophet. [TOP]

In the final analysis, we find that Muhammad is not a true prophet, for the true prophet according to the Bible must have special qualifications.

1.  The true prophet, who is chosen by God to be the founder of a new religion must receive a direct call from God (Exodus 3:9,10).  Muhammad received his call from the spirit which squeezed him at the cave of Hira.

2.  The true prophet, chosen to declare a new religion, must be committed to holiness (2 Peter 1:21).  The main interest of Muhammad was to have as many wives as he could, and not to live a holy life.

    O Prophet!  We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers;  and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the captives of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated with thee;  and    any believing woman who gives herself to the prophet. If the prophet wishes to wed her; - this only for thee,  and not for the believers (at large) (Surat Al-Ahzab 33:50).

3.  The true prophet must perform miracles to authenticate his call.  There is no mention in the Quran of a single miracle attributed to Muhammad.

4.  The true prophet must utter prophecies that must be fulfilled to the letter.  The only so-called prophetic utterance Muhammad recorded in his Quran is Surat Ar-Rum it says:

    The Romans have been defeated - in a land close by: But they (even) after (this) defeat of theirs    will soon be victorious within a few years, with Allah is the command in the past and in the future: On that day shall the believers rejoice (Surat Ar-Rum 30:2-4).

This surat cannot be considered a prophecy in any sense, for it does not mention who defeated the Romans, where they were defeated, or who shall be defeated by them.  It seems strange that the Muslims would rejoice because of the victory of the Romans who were Catholics at that time.

Why do they not rejoice today for the victories of the Christians?

If one apples this set of criteria and the required qualifications of the prophet to Muhammad, one must conclude that he is not a true prophet.

In addition, Islam did not establish commandments or principles superior to those of judaism and christianity.  All Muhammad did was to permit:

  • Polygamy instead of monogamy.
  • War and bloodshed instead of peace.
  • Revenge instead of forgiveness.
  • Salvation by good deeds, instead of salvation by the grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and
  • A sensual paradise after death where the Muslims will have rivers of wine, women with wide lovely eyes and beautiful boys instead of a new heaven and new earth in  which righteousness dwells (II Peter 3:13). (Compare Surat Al-Tur 52:17-24 to II Peter 3:13).

More importantly, Jesus Christ was the last Messenger of God to mankind, there was no one come after him.  He is also the heir of all things.  This is clear from the words we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

    God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself   purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. . . (Hebrew 1:1-3 NKJ).

The Quran declares that Allah is the one who will inherit all things:

    It is We Who will inherit the earth, and all beings thereon: to Us will they all be returned (Surat Maryam 19:40).
    Lo! and it is We, even We, Who quicken and give death, and we are the inheritor (Surat Al-Hijr 15:23 MPT).

If we acknowledge that Christ is the inheritor of all things, we have to confess that He is also God the Son.  At the end of His earthly life, Jesus said to His disciples:

    Let not your heart be troubled:  ye believe in God, believe also in me.  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.  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 (John 14:1-3).

Jesus told His disciples that He would come again to take them to His Father's house.  He did not tell them that another prophet would come after him.  It is not acceptable that God will send a slave after sending His eternal Son.

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