A Reply to Aisha
Hello Aisha: Thank you for sending the article on Mohammed in the Bible. Unfortunately it has lots of errors in it. There is very little understanding of the New Testament particularly.
I would hope you might use the online Bible to find out what the New Testament really says. The comments about the Holy Spirit are standard Muslim distortion of the passages. I am sorry for their lack of reading the contexts and understanding the context.
Following your suggestions in your letter I will consider only one thing at a time.
Blessings, Dallas
She wrote:
Almost all previous Prophets predicted Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. Despite the distortions suffered by the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospels, we find indications of his coming.
My reply:
This comment contradicts the Qur’an. The Qur’an affirms the importance of reading the Torah and the Gospels when the Qur’an was written. There is no evidence for this claimed “distortion.” The Torah and the Gospels that Mohammed knew about are the same ones we have today. The story that the records were distorted or corrupted arose only after the Muslims read the Bible and could not find evidence for Mohammed. The Qur’an certifies that the Torah and the Gospels are to be read by people and were reliable.
She wrote:
For example, the Torah promises the coming of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings:
The Lord said to me [Moses]: "What they say is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you among their brothers; I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My Name, I will Myself call him to account." (Deuteronomy 18:17–19)
My reply:
What does the whole passage say? “Instead, he will choose one of your own people to be a prophet just like me, and you must do what that prophet says. You were asking for a prophet the day you were gathered at Mount Sinai and said to the LORD, "Please don't let us hear your voice or see this terrible fire again--if we do, we will die!" Then the LORD told me: Moses, they have said the right thing. So when I want to speak to them, I will choose one of them to be a prophet like you. I will give my message to that prophet, who will tell the people exactly what I have said. Since the message comes from me, anyone who doesn't obey the message will have to answer to me. But if I haven't spoken, and a prophet claims to have a message from me, you must kill that prophet, and you must also kill any prophet who claims to have a message from another god. You may be asking yourselves, "How can we tell if a prophet's message really comes from the LORD?" You will know, because if the LORD says something will happen, it will happen. And if it doesn't, you will know that the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the LORD. Don't be afraid of any prophet whose message doesn't come from the LORD. (Dt. 18:15-22)
There are number of points in this passage. The prophet will be an Israelite, not anyone else. The blessing of Yahweh was through Isaac, not Ishmael, and the prophetic line is traced through the descendants of Isaac.
Abraham “then asked God, "Why not let Ishmael inherit what you have promised me?" But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation. But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever. God finished speaking to Abraham and then left.” (Gen. 17.18-22) Any prophet mentioned here must be an Israelite. There are no prophets in the Old Testament who were not Israelites. There is no information about prophets in the line of Ishmael.
Second, this passage may refer to many of the prophets of the Old Testament who did precisely what is described here. They spoke what the Lord told them..
Third, what prophecy did Mohammed give. He claimed only to be a warner–warning people about the coming judgement.
She wrote:
The phrase: a Prophet like you among their brothers clearly refers to a Prophet from the line of Ishmael, the brother of Isaac, who is the forefather of Moses' people (the Children of Israel).
My reply:
This is clearly an absurd attempt to impose meaning on the passage. At the most remote time Moses lived around 1440 BC or 1290 depending on the date of the exodus. Abraham’s date is a long time before this. This conversation Abraham had with God was more than 430 years before the time of Moses.
The Old Testament has very little information about Ishmael. Gen 25:17 Isamael had settled in the land east of his brothers, and his sons settled everywhere from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt on the way to Asshur was one hundred thirty-seven when he died.” Ishmael fades from the scene. There is no context for Ishmael to fit into the words of Moses about the coming prophets.
She wrote:
The only Prophet who came from this line after Moses and resembled him in many ways (e.g., bringing a new law and waging war on his enemies), is Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. Also, Deuteronomy 34:10 clearly states that no Prophet like Moses ever appeared among the Israelites: "[With respect to his virtues and awesome deeds,] a Prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knows face to face, no longer appeared among Israel."[1] The Qur'an points to the same fact: We have sent to you a Messenger as a witness over you, even as We sent to Pharaoh a Messenger (73:15). [1] Taken from the Turkish translation of the Bible, published in Istanbul in 1885.
My reply:
We should look at the whole context of the verses: “There has never been a prophet in Israel like Moses; the LORD spoke with him face-to-face. No other prophet has ever done miracles and wonders like those that the LORD sent Moses to perform against the king of Egypt, his officials, and the entire country. No other prophet has been able to do the great and terrifying things that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” (Dt. 34:10-12)
The first part of this verse is true until the time of the Messiah, Jesus, the Son of God. Remember this verse was written long before the time of Jesus. Moses lived at least 1200 years before the time of Jesus. There were great prophets in between, Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, and others but they did not do the things Moses did. Jesus , however, did more important miracles than Moses did. Raising the dead, healing the lame, healing lepers, the blind, and the deaf and dumb, casting out demons, walking on water, were many of the things Jesus did. Moses only delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and that was awesome but nothing compares to what Jesus did.
What did Mohammed do? You claim he brought a new law. Jesus had some important comments about the law of Moses: “ Don't suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.
Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen. If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)
Mohammed did no miracles, he did not raise the dead, heal the sick, deliver the people from their sins. Even Moses did not do that, only Jesus brought forgiveness.
What new law did Mohammed bring? The only new thing about Mohammed is that he claimed to be a prophet and introduced jihad against mankind and degraded the position of women. Mohammed brought jihad against all peoples who are not Muslims, but even Muslims are fighting against each other, Shia against Sunni and vice versa. Without the imposition of immoral jihad Islam would not have survived.
The war that the Israelites fought were different from the wars of Mohammed. The land was given by Yahweh to Abraham’s descendants only after the pagans became so wicked that they were to be punished. Please note that there is no jihad against anyone else. They did not go for the Egyptians, the Chinese, or the Hindus in India or anyone else.
“the LORD appeared to Abram and promised, "I will give this land to your family forever." (Gen.12:7) Abram then built an altar there for the LORD. Then Yahweh tells what will happen.
“ Four generations later, your descendants will return here and take this land , because only then will the people who live here be so sinful that they deserve to be punished.” (Gen. 15:16 ) The time of the judgement came when the Israelites were delivered from bondage and brought to the promised land. “My angel will lead you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.” (Exodus 23:23)
The claim that Mohammed was like Moses “whom the Lord knows face to face” is a claim without foundation. Moses went upon Sinai and received the Law. Mohammed never went anywhere except to battle.
She wrote:
The sentence: I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him, in the above Biblical verse, means that the promised Prophet will be unlettered and speak whatever is revealed to him. God states this in the Qur'an: He does not speak out of [his own] desire. It is but a Revelation revealed (53:3–4).
My reply:
This is an empty claim that the comment refers to an unlettered prophet. The point of the words that God will put his words in the mouth of the prophet are meant to authentic. The passage goes on with these words: “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.” (Deut. 18:21-22)
There were many prophets after Moses. Were any of the prophets in between unlettered? There is no evidence that being ignorant, or unlettered was a recommendation for being a prophet. Lots of them wrote books, some did not. The real issue was whether they had a message from Yahweh.
What did Mohammed prophesy that came to pass? He claimed to be only a warner of the judgement that was to come.
She wrote:
The following verse, The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran (Deuteronomy, 33:2), refers to the Prophethood of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, respectively, upon them be peace. Prophet Moses spoke to God and received the Torah at Sinai; Prophet Jesus received Divine Revelation at Seir, a place in Palestine; and God manifested Himself to humanity for the last time through His Revelation to Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, at Paran, a mountain range near Makka.
My reply:
What does this really refer to? Look at the whole story. “Moses was a prophet, and before he died, he blessed the tribes of Israel by saying: The LORD came from Mount Sinai. From Edom, he gave light to his people, and his glory was shining from Mount Paran. Thousands of his warriors were with him, and fire was at his right hand. The LORD loves the tribes of Israel, and he protects his people. They listen to his words and worship at his feet. ( Dt. 33:1-3)
These places have no reference to Jesus or Mohammed. They are places on the road to the promised land. Seir is mentioned in the Old Testament as the area where Esau lived. Paran is mentioned also in Habukkuk “O LORD, I have heard of what you have done, and I am filled with awe. Now do again in our times the great deeds you used to do. Be merciful, even when you are angry. God is coming again from Edom; the holy God is coming from the hills of Paran. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise. (3:2-3)
“The problem is of course that (the Wilderness of) Paran in the Bible is not Arabia. The traditional view is that Paran is in the Sinai Peninsula, starting at Kadesh Barnea, which is south of Israel. Consider the following:
“ Hadad the Edomite, during the reign of Solomon, escaped to Egypt when he was a boy (1 Kings 11:17). "They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking men from Paran with them, they went to Egypt..." (1 Kings 11:8-19). To think that Hadad set out from Midian (which is south east (SE) of Israel, near the Sinai in the Arabian Peninsula, go up north east east (NEE) to "Paran" (Mecca), then somehow end up in Egypt (south west of Mecca) is unthinkable.
“The Israelites left Sinai (after receiving the Law) for the Desert of Paran (Numbers 10:12), on the way passing through Kibroth Hattavah (Numbers 11:34), Hazeroth (Numbers 12:16), and settling at Kadesh [Barnea] of Paran (Numbers 13:26), which is the northern part of the desert. From Paran, spies were sent to Canaan to check out the land (Numbers 13:3). The spies' exploration took them from Paran through the Desert of Zin (south of Israel), Rehob, Lebo Hamath, Negev, Hebron (Numbers 13:21-22). The southern boundary of the Israelite promised land is given as "Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern boundary wll start from the end of the Salt Sea [i.e. Dead Sea], cross south of the Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Sea [i.e., Mediterranean]" (Numbers 34:3-5). Zin and Kadesh are clearly to the south of Israel, so to demand that Paran is on the east of Israel requires an impossible boundary.
“ The above verses also show that Moses and the Israelites were at Paran. But if Paran is Mecca, and that Moses is a prophet of Islam, then the obvious conclusion is that Moses was at Mecca and that he must have worshipped at the Ka'aba. Nothing of this sort is ever suggested by any Muslim. It also means that the whole group of Israelites (many thousands of them) passed through Mecca.” (Answering Islam.org)
As an example for this, there are two cities named Portland. Portland, Maine on the east coast is thousands of miles from Portland, Oregon on the west coast. If I were to say I have been to Portland it does not mean anything until I identity the state.
She wrote:
The Torah mentions (Genesis 21:21) Paran as the desert area where Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, left Hagar and their son Ishmael. The Zamzam well also is located there. As stated explicitly in the Qur'an (14:35–37), Abraham left them in the valley of Makka, at that time an uninhabited place within Paran's mountain ranges.
My reply:
"... there is no historical evidence for the assertion that Abraham or Ishmael was ever in Mecca.” Moreover, does anyone know when Mecca was founded. Abraham lived around 4000 years ago? Are there any prophets descended from Ishmael? None.
If you would like to see the problems of geography in the travels of Abraham, there is an excellent article here. http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/toler/abraham_kaaba.html
The well mentioned in Genesis 21:21 is unnamed. It is not in Mecca where ZamZam is located. Moreover, Hagar chose a wife for him who was Egyptian, not Arabian.
She wrote:
The verse in Deuteronomy, according to the Arabic version published in London (1944) and the Ottoman Turkish version (Istanbul: 1885), continues: He came with myriads of holy ones; in his right hand appeared to them the fire of the Shari'a. This verse refers to the promised Prophet, Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, who would have numerous Companions of the highest degree of sainthood. The fire of the Shari'a alludes to the fact that he would be allowed, even ordered, to fight his enemies.
My reply:
You are apparently referring to Dt. 33:1-6. “ Moses was a prophet, and before he died, he blessed the tribes of Israel by saying: The LORD came from Mount Sinai. From Edom, he gave light to his people, and his glory was shining from Mount Paran. Thousands of his warriors were with him, and fire was at his right hand. The LORD loves the tribes of Israel, and he protects his people. They listen to his words and worship at his feet. * I called a meeting of the tribes of Israel and gave you God's Law. Then you and your leaders made the LORD your king. Tribe of Reuben, you will live, even though your tribe will always be small.”
This passage is the prelude to the blessings pronounced by Moses on the twelve tribes of Israel. It begins with Reuben and continues thru all the tribes. Thousands of angels were with Him, and fire was at his right hand as experienced at Sinai with the receiving of the Ten Commandments. It continues with the encouraging statement that Yahweh loves Israel. How is it possible to think that Mohammed is alluded to in this passage, or the Sharia law. The simplicity of the Ten Commandment can hardly be alluding to the legalistic complexity of Sharia. Moreover, Sharia law was written by about 7 Muslim legalists living about 200 years after Mohammed.
There is nothing in Deuteronomy that refers to Mohammed.
She wrote:
In the Gospel of Matthew, we come across an interesting verse in which Jesus said:
Have you never read in the Scriptures: "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." (Matthew 21:42–44)
This capstone cannot be Prophet Jesus, for the verses refer to crushing victories won by the "capstone's" followers. No people were ever crushed because they resisted Christianity. Christianity spread in the Roman Empire only after it underwent some changes and was reconciled with Roman religion(s). Western dominion of the world came via scientific thought's triumph over the Medieval Church, and took the form of ruthless colonialism.
My Reply:
“It is important to read verse 45 in the passage you quote, “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.” (21:45)
In the first part of the verse, the stone is on the ground; in the second part, it is descending from above. This suggests the two Advents of Christ. When He came the first time, the Jewish leaders stumbled over Him and were broken to pieces. When He comes again, He will descend in judgment, scattering His enemies like dust.”
You are reading Muslim ideology into the words of Jesus that were not related. Christianity spread because of its message of forgiveness, love, and transformation. It was never reconciled with Roman religions, indeed, it brought about their demise.
Actually, the crushing of people that you argue has come thru Islam, particularly the powerlessness of women, the abuse of women, and female children. This is a ruthless aspect of Islam.
You should check out the history of the Christian church. Wherever the church enter into a culture it brought education, charitable works, and freedom. It did not subjugate people as Islam did in its conquests.
She wrote:
Islam, on the other hand, ruled almost half of the Old World for centuries. Its original purity was never diluted, its enemies were defeated many times, and it successfully defended itself against Christianity. Currently, Islam is once again rising as a pure, authentic religion, way of life, and hope for human salvation. Moreover, Prophet Jesus himself alludes to this by stating that the kingdom of God will be taken away from his followers and given to a people who will produce its fruit, as seen above.
Moreover, in a telling detail recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, describes himself as the "capstone," thereby completing the building of Prophethood.
My Reply:
Which is the pure religion? Shia? Sunni? etc. Purity would mean everyone recognizing it as true. The argument from numbers do not make it true. Lots of people once believed that the earth was flat and some Muslims still do. But regardless of the number believing it does not make it true. The number of Muslims do not make it true. What is the pure religion that is now arising? Shia? Sunni? The Taliban? The Brotherhood?
Even the claim about the purity of the Qur’an is wrong. There are lots of stories in the Qur’an that are fables, not revelation. The story of the Christian youth who slept for 300 years is not true, it is a myth.
What does Islam offer you concerning paradise. You have to hope your good works will weigh more than your bad works. Even then one is never sure what Allah will do to you. Allah is capricious and you could wind up in hell in spite of your good deeds. Mohammed claimed that most of the inhabitants of hell are women.
You mis-read the words of Jesus about the kingdom of God being taken away. It was not from his followers, but the Jews that is involved. The Kingdom was given to the followers of Jesus, his disciples who were named Christians. Muslims do things that Jesus never commanded, and he commanded things that Muslims never do.
One last comment about Sahih al-Bukhari and your reference to him. Al-Bukhari lived a long time after Mohammed and he had no contemporary records from the time of Mohammed.
What you have is a tradition created by somebody without any historical record. Modern scholars have come to conclude that Mohammed has no contemporary evidence to support his existence. The hadiths appeared many decades after the time Mohammed was supposed to live. They do not embody history, but made up stories by those who lived later than Mohammed.
She wrote:
Another reference to the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, is found in the Gospel of John: Who is "the Paraklit, the Spirit of Truth," referred to by Jesus in the following verse:
But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Paraklit will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:7-8)
My reply:
If you want to know the real story about these verses, consider the whole context.
“ But I tell you that I am going to do what is best for you. That is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you.
The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God's justice and the judgment. The Spirit will show them that they are wrong about sin, because they didn't have faith in me. They are wrong about God's justice, because I am going to the Father, and you won't see me again. And they are wrong about the judgment, because God has already judged the ruler of this world. I have much more to say to you, but right now it would be more than you could understand. The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.” John 16:7-15)
Important things to consider: The Spirit is mentioned hundreds of times beginning with Genesis when the Spirit of God was moving over the water in Creation. Many times in the Old Testament the Spirit of God is mentioned doing this or that. The Spirit does not just appear in the words of Jesus for the first time. In the Old Testament the Spirit came upon prophets and empowered them to speak the message of judgement, etc., but did not indwell them. The promise of Jesus is that the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit would indwell the believer forever. Consider the following issues.
1. The word is spelled in English as parakletos, meaning comforter, helper, consoler, and advocate. “While the Greek manuscripts have paraclete, paracletos, meaning "one who comes along side", some Muslims argue that the word should be periklutos, meaning "Praised One", which in Arabic is Ahmad, which Muslims take to be Muhammad....The problem, however, is that there is not a shred of evidence in support of this theory, and the thousands of NT manuscripts predating Islam all do not have periklutos. Christians and all extant manuscripts have all confirmed that the word is paraclete as it stands. Early testimonies of Muslims testify that the Bible's paraclete is correct,” (http://www.answering-islam.org/Index/index.html)
2. Jesus is talking to his disciples about the Holy Spirit we would send to help them. This would not make any sense to refer to Mohammed who was 600 years away in birth.
3. The Holy Spirit would come after Jesus left them after the resurrection, not 600 years later.
4. The Holy Spirit was to tell the disciples what He has heard from Jesus.
5. Nowhere in the Bible is the Holy Spirit referred to as Gabriel.
6. The passage written by this Muslim is absolutely wrong about what the Spirit did.
The Book of Acts says, “ The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak. Many religious Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem. And when they heard this noise, a crowd gathered. But they were surprised, because they were hearing everything in their own languages. They were excited and amazed, and said: Don't all these who are speaking come from Galilee? Then why do we hear them speaking our very own languages?” (Acts 2:4-8)
Another passage about the Holy Spirit is John 14.16-18. “ Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you. I won't leave you like orphans. I will come back to you.”
Here also, the Greek word paracletos is used to refer to the Holy Spirit. Observe the following:
1. Jesus is addressing the disciples and the Holy Spirit was to be given to them; this cannot refer to Mohammed who lived 600 years later.
2. The Holy Spirit would always be with the disciples. Mohammed was never there for them.
3.The Spirit given by Jesus could not be seen by the world. Mohammed was seen by lots of people in Mecca and Medina. This cannot refer to him.
4. The Spirit would keep on living in the disciples. Such a claim could not relate to Mohammed.
5. Because the Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus he did not leave them like orphans.
6. The Spirit would show them what is true which is found in the written Scripture of the New Testament, and when one reads it one becomes aware that God’s word is there.
She wrote:
In these verses, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is referred to as Paraklit, a Greek word meaning "the Distinguisher between Truth and Falsehood." Christian interpreters have given this word different meanings, such as "Counselor" (Gideon's International), "Helper" (American Bible Society), or "Comforter" (The Company of the Holy Bible), and claimed that it refers to the Holy Spirit. But they have never been able to establish whether the Holy Spirit came and did what Jesus foretold it would do.
My Reply:
You or your source has not read enough of the New Testament to know that your last statement is totally false. Here is the account in the book of Acts of the Apostles.
“ For forty days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God's kingdom. While he was still with them, he said: Don't leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, "Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?" Jesus said to them, "You don't need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world." (Acts 1:3-8)
This is the promise that the Holy Spirit would come, and now we have the fulfillment of it.
“On the day of Pentecost all the Lord's followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.” (Acts 2:1-4)
The gift of the Holy Spirit began in the Bible but continues to be related to the life of the believer now. There are lots of passages talking about the believers being given the Holy Spirit. Here are some samples: “In him (Christ)you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 1:13) The Mystery of God “which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. (Ephesians 3:5)
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)
You as a Muslim cannot grasp or understand the comments about the Holy Spirit because you have rejected the revelation of God in Christ, and the words of Jesus concerning the Holy Spirit are also ignored or rejected.
She wrote:
If, according to Christians, the Holy Spirit is Archangel Gabriel, he came many times to Prophet Muhammad to bring Divine Revelation. Further, Jesus mentioned and predicted the Paraklit with various names, but always with the same function, as seen in the following verses:
When the Paraklit comes—the Spirit of Truth—who comes from the Father, he will testify about me. (John 15:26)
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking what is mine and making it known to you (John 16:12–14)
These are only a few of the Bible's allusions to Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. The late Hussayn Jisri found 114 such allusions and quoted them in his Risala al-Hamidiya.
My Reply:
First, There is absolutely no relation between the Holy Spirit and Gabriel. No Christian who knows anything about the New Testament would make such a statement that the Holy Spirit and Gabriel are the same. Gabriel is named twice, Luke l:19, and 1:26, in the first instance about the birth of John the Baptist, and in the second about the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.
Luke 1:19 is about John the Baptist’s father, “And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. “
Luke 1.26-33, “One month later God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. The angel greeted Mary and said, "You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you." Mary was confused by the angel's words and wondered what they meant. Then the angel told Mary, "Don't be afraid! God is pleased with you, and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end."
Don’t overlook the statement that Gabriel declared that Jesus shall be called the Son of the Most High. As the Incarnate Son of God his lineage is traced back to David and the covenant Yahweh made with David that one of his descendants would king forever. The Kingdom of God will be ruled by the Son of God. If the kingdom of God is ruled by Jesus, where is there a place for the Muslim concepts of paradise? There seems to be no place for it.
Now there is a tremendous problem for Muslims here. Gabriel is announcing to Mary that the Virgin Born child was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and is the Son of God in human form. How can an angel of God, allegedly one named Gabriel, come six hundred years later and reject the title that was given to Mary, that is, He is the Son of God. Yahweh is consistent, Allah is not.
This raises a question about the character of the Muslim Gabriel. Was he really from Yahweh or is Allah a different being?
Paul warns the churches about false prophets, “ Anyway, they are no more than false apostles and dishonest workers. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ. And it is no wonder. Even Satan tries to make himself look like an angel of light.” (2 Corinth 11:13-14)
Could it be that the “Gabriel” who appeared to Mohammed was not the one who appeared to Mary? The first Gabriel told the truth to Mary and Zachariah for those events came to past, but the Gabriel appearing to Mohammed raises all kinds of issues of truth.
The story of Jesus being tempted by the devil is interesting to raise the question about who is Gabriel appearing to Mohammed. “ Finally, the devil took Jesus up on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms on earth and their power. The devil said to him, "I will give all this to you, if you will bow down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8-9) Could it be that the practice of bowing 5 times a day to Allah has a relationship to this temptation of Jesus? Paul declared that Satan tries to make himself look like an angel and could the Gabriel of the Qur’an be Satan in disguise?
The story of Genesis is that Satan tricked the woman into sin. But in the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, through Mary, defeat came to Satan and ultimate defeat for all evil. The question may be raised concerning the suffering of women in Islam. Is the suffering of women the Devil’s revenge because of the Redeemer coming thru a woman?
The birth of the Messiah, the Son of God, brings to a close the revelatory work of Yahweh. This idea is make clear in Hebrews 1:1-8.
“ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." Of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire." But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”
In consequence of these words there is no place and no need for Mohammed as a source of revelation. The fact that many things given in the Qur’an are in contradiction to the Torah and the Gospels puts Mohammed in the category of a false prophet.
“ If we reject the Son, we reject the Father. But if we say that we accept the Son, we have the Father. Keep thinking about the message you first heard, and you will always be one in your heart with the Son and with the Father. The Son has promised us eternal life. I am writing to warn you about those people who are misleading you. But Christ has blessed you with the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit stays in you, and you don't need any teachers. The Spirit is truthful and teaches you everything. So stay one in your heart with Christ, just as the Spirit has taught you to do.” (I John 2:23-27)
“No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.” I John 4:12-15)
There is no need for Mohammed. In the statements of the New Testament he is declared a false prophet by his rejection of the Son of God. Mohammed cannot offer you the free gift of eternal life since he is a false prophet. Only Jesus gives forgiveness and eternal life. Jesus is giving the gift of eternal life now to all who call upon him.
Your last comment, “ The late Hussayn Jisri found 114 such allusions and quoted them in his Risala al-Hamidiya.”
My reply: It appears that Muslims seem to find some word or phrase that they use to force the meaning that it refers to Mohammed There are no prophecies about Mohammed and so allusions are made up on the basis of some vague word.
Thank you for writing. Blessings. Dallas