The Fourth Test is the Test of Providing for the Basic Spiritual Needs of Mankind

If the Quran is the true word of God, it must give satisfactory answers to the basic spiritual needs of mankind.  If it fails to give these needed answers, then it is not the true word of God.  There are four basic spiritual needs of the human heart.

• The need to be loved and to love.
• Assurance of total forgiveness of sin, so that the believer would not feel the sense of guilt, but  rather experience joy and peace.
• A way of life designed by God, the supreme authority, to show the believer how to please his creator and to deal with his fellow men.
• Assurance of eternal life with God in heavenly bliss.

Are there any satisfactory answers in the Quran for these basic needs?
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The Need to be Loved and to Love.

The New Testament declares that:

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we are still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8 NKJ).  Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  he who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another...if someone says "I love God,"  and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love is brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen (I John 4:7-11, 2 NKJ)

We see the magnificent example of forgiveness and love in Jesus Christ.  While Jesus was hanging on the cross in great agony, he prayed for his enemies:

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34)

Concerning the love of Christ for his own, we read:

...having loved His own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end (John 13:1).

The Muslims do not believe that "God is love."  That name is not mentioned in the Quran among the ninety-nine excellent names of Allah.  You will not find even one verse in the Quran that says Allah loves sinners.
The Quran does not satisfy the need to be loved and to love.
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The Need of Total Forgiveness

Sin is a heavy burden.  It disturbs man's conscience and robs him of joy and peace.  The prophet David cried out:

For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me
(Psalm 38:4).

Mohammed felt the burden of sin. It was too heavy for him and made him bend under its weight.

Have We not expounded thee thy breast?  And removed from thee thy burden (literally "iniquity").  The which did gall thy back (Surat Al-Inshirah 94:1-3).

The Bible declares that man is a sinner by nature and actions.  The Prophet David said:

Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me (Psalm 51:5).

The apostle Paul said:

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.  For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.  But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.  For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.  For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.  now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me (Romans 7:14-20 NKJ).

The doctrine of original sin or inherited sin has no room in the teaching of Islam.  man, according too the Quran and to Mohammed, is born in a natural state of purity or fitrah.  Whatever becomes of man after birth is the result of external influences.  This Quranic teaching is false, because there was any external influence Cain, the firs son of Adam and Eve, hated his brother Abel and killed him The act was motivated by his inherited sinful nature.

Jesus said:

For from within, out of the hear t of men, processed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication's, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man (Mark 7:21-23).

Psychology confirms what the Bible says.  There is the "id," the dark side of the human psyche.  The Bible declares that sin is the transgression of the law of God (I John 3:4). It is negligence of doing what is good (James 4:17).  it was whatever is not of faith (Romans 14:23).  It is an evil or foolish thought (Proverbs 24:9).  In the light of the Biblical definition of sin, we can say with the apostle Paul:

...All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

To deny that all men are sinners, is to deceive ourselves (I John 1:8).  The Quran does not offer assurance of forgiveness.  Mohammed said to the Muslims:

Do good things, give alms, but know that none of your will escape judgment by his work.  "Even you Messenger of Allah?"  his followers asked,  "Even me, unless Allah bestow his mercy on me"  (The Doctrines of Islam, page 75).

There are give Islamic rituals which are called pillars of Islam.  Every true Muslim  fulfill them.

• The Shahada or testimony.  Every Muslim should testify that there is no god but Allah and that  Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.
• Prayer.  Every Muslim should pray five times a day.  Before offering the prayer one must wash  parts of his body-the Muslim call that ablution. If, after washing, the man touches a woman, then  he has to repeat his ablution; touching a woman defiles the Muslim (Surat Al-Nisa 4:43).
• Fasting the month of Ramadan each year.  The fast starts before the break of the dawn and ends  at sunset.
• Giving alms, which is called Zakaht.  That means the Muslim with means must distribute  Zakaht, money or material possessions, among the rightful beneficiaries.
• The Pilgrimage (Hajj).  It is a mandatory performance for every Muslim who is able to visit the  Kaaba in Mecca, at least once in his or her lifetime.

With the performance of all these obligations, a Muslim cannot be assured that his sins are forgiven.  The Quran declares salvation by works:

For those things that are good remove those that are evil (Surat Hud 11:114).

But at the Day of Judgment scales will be set to weigh the good and evil deeds.

The balance that day will be true:  Those whose scales [of good] will be heavy, will prosper: Those whose scale will be light will find their souls in perdition (Surat Al-Araf 7:8,9).

A Muslim is terrified of the Day of Judgment.  he is not sure of the result of weighing his good and evil deeds in the balance.

On April 3, 1991, the Egyptian magazine, Akher Saa, recorded a heated debate between four female journalists and Sheik Doctor Abdu-Almonim Al-Nimr who holds a high position at Al-Azher Islamic University.  One of the journalists asked him :”Is the Hejab [veil] Obligatory for women in Islam?  If I do not wear the hejab shall I go to hell in spite of my other good deeds.  I am talking about the decent woman who does not wear the Hejab?”
“The ordinances in Islam are many, my daughter, Allah made us accountable to each.  It means if you do that ordinance you earn a point.  If you neglect one you lose a point.  If you pray, you earn a point, if you do not fast you lose a point and so on,” Dr. Al-Nimr answered.  Then he continued, "I did not invent a new theory .. for every man there is a book in which all his good and evil deeds are recorded .. even how do we treat our children."

The journalist said:  "That means, if I do not wear the Hejab I will not enter the hell fire without taking into account the rest of my good deeds."
"My daughter, no one knows who will enter the hell fire .. I might be the first one to enter it" Caliph Abu-Bakr Al-Sadik said:  "I have no trust concerning Allah's schemes, even if one of my feet is inside of paradise who can determine which deed is acceptable and which is not.  You do all what you can do, and the accountability is with Allah.  You ask him for acceptance."

The Bible clearly shows that sin is rebellion against the Holy God.  No one may be granted forgiveness by good deeds.  The only way for forgiveness is through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NKJ).

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

The Quran offers no assurance of forgiveness, and that is in stark contrast with what is said in the Bible.  The apostle Paul says:

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7).

The apostle John says:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9 NKJ).

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Does the Quran Provide a Decent Way of Life?

Could we find a decent way of life, a life that pleases God and helps us to deal fairly with our fellow men in the Quran?  In his book, Knowing God, J.I.  Packer wrote on pages 14 and 16:
Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives...  Godliness means responding to God's revelation in trust and obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service.  Life must be seen and lived in the light of God's Word.  This, and nothing, else is true religion.
Man cannot live beyond the attributes of the god he believes in.  If his god is cruel he will be cruel.  If his god is kind, he will be kind.  If his god is holy, he will be holy.  The apostle Peter wrote to the Christians:

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy (I Peter 1:15, 16).

The apostle Paul says:

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor (Ephesians 5:1, 2).

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.  "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth" (I Peter 2:21, 22 NKJ).

God is the supreme example of true Christians.  Now, who is this Allah in the Quran, that the Muslim should imitate?  In the Quran:

Allah is the best plotter:

And when those who disbelieve plot against thee [O Mohammed] to wound thee fatally, or to kill thee or to drive thee forth; they plot, but Allah [also] plotteth; and Allah is the best of plotters (Surat Al-Anfal 8:30 MPT).

Allah is a deceiver:

The Hypocrites - they seek to deceive Allah but it is Allah who deceives them.  When they stand up to prayer, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance (Surat Al-Nisa 4:142).

Allah is a murderer:

Ye [Muslims] slew them not, but Allah slew them.  And thou [Mohammed] threwest not when thou didst throw, but Allah threw, that He might test the believers by a fair test from Him.  Lo!  Allah is Hearer, Knower (Surat Al-Anfal 8:17 MPT).

Allah is a torturer:

Fight them and Allah will torture (literal translation) them by your hands, and disgrace them, help you [to victory] over them, heal the breasts of believers (Surat Al-Tawbah 9;14).

Allah is unjust and unfair:

And when we would destroy a township we send commandment to its folk who live at ease, and afterward they commit abomination therein, and so the Word [of doom] hath effect for it, and We annihilate it with complete annihilation (Surat Al-Isra 17:16 MPT).

Allah commands those who live at ease to disobey and commit abomination, and when they obey and commit abomination according to his command he annihilates them.  That is unjust and unfair.

Now, if a Muslim follows the pattern of Allah who is presented in the Quran, he would plot, deceive, murder, torture non-Muslims, be unjust and unfair without any sense of guilt.  This is the way of life the Quran presents to the Muslims, and this is why when any Muslim believes that Jesus Christ is his Savior and Lord, Muslims persecute, torture and eventually kill him or her in the name of Allah.
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Does the Quran Provide Assurance of Eternal Life with God in Heavenly Bliss?

The only way by which a Muslim might enter paradise is to die a martyr's death fighting non-Muslims for the cause of Allah.  The Prophet Mohammed himself was terrified from expecting to be tortured after death.

Sahih Al-Bukhari recorded the following event:

A Jewess entered Aisha's room and mentioned the torture of the dead in the grave and said to her "may Allah save you from the torture of the grave."  Aisha [Mohammed's wife] asked him about the torture of the grave, "yes, there is torture in the grave," he answered.  Aisha said:  "I never saw the Messenger of Allah praying after that, but asking for refuge from torture of the grave" (Sahih Al-Bukhari , Vol. l, 2, page 584).

Sahih AI-Bukhari stated also:

Abu-Huraira said "The Messenger of Allah, was always calling Allah, and saying 'I take refuge in you from the torture of the grave, and hell fire, and from the sedition of life and death and from the sedition of the false messiah'"(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.  1, 2 page 585).

The Quran decrees that every Muslim will enter Hell:

Man says:  "What!  When I am dead, shall I then be raised up alive?" But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing?  So, by thy Lord, without doubt, We shall gather them together, and [also] Satan's [with them], then shall We bring them forth on their knees round about Hell; then shall We certainly drag out from every sect all those who were worst in obstinate rebellion against [Allah] Most Gracious.  And certainly We know best those who are most worthy of being burned therein.  Not one of you but will enter it (literal translation); this is, with thy Lord, a decree which must be accomplished (Surat Maryam 19:66-71).

It is said in the Quran, that hell has seven gates (Surat Al-Hijr 15:43, 44).  Every Muslim shall enter hell.
Ibn Katheir the great expositor of the Quran interprets the words "Everyone of you will enter it" by the following stories.

The first story:

Abd-Elrazak cited Ibn Ayeena, who cited Ibn Abi Khalid, who cited Qyse Ibn Abi Hazim, who said that Abdullah Ibn Rowaha was putting his head on his wife's lap, he wept, his wife wept, he asked her:  Why do you weep?  "I saw you weeping so I wept" she answered.  He said I remembered what Allah said "Not one of you but will enter it." I do not know if I will escape from it or not.

The second story:

Ibn Qurair cited Abu-Kareeb, who cited Ibn Yaman, who cited Malik Ibn Magul, who cited Abu-Ishacc, who said:  Abu Mysarah used to say every night before he goes to bed, I wish that my mother had not given birth of me, then weep.  Someone asked him "Why do you weep Abu Mysarah?" "The Quran told us that we shall enter Hell, but we were not told that we will get out of it."

The third story:

Abdu-Allah Ibn Al-Mubarak cited Al-Hasan Al-Basari:  A man said to his brother:  do you know that you will enter Hell fire?  "yes" his brother answered.  "Do you know if you will get out of it?" he asked.  "No" his brother answered.  "Why do you laugh then?" From that time on he was never seen laughing till he died (Ibn Katheir on Surat Maryam Vol. 3, page 129).

This is in stark contrast with what Christ said in the Bible:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life (John 5:24 NKJ).

There is no hope for the Muslim to escape Hell fire
The real Christian is completely assured that he or she will never enter hell fire:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

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 (I John 5:13).

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