(I was the first to write an email proposing to start a dialogue with him. )
Dear Malik:
I am very glad to hear from you. I will be visiting your website soon. I am
familiar with Deedat.
What do you think the Quran means when it calls Isa "kalimat allah warohon
minhu" (Word of God and a spirit from Him)?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Sherif
(It's very common for missionaries to start off with a deceitful appearance. Using a Muslim name, pose a question that they apparently have an answer to already. Their game works like this, when they give you the opportunity to speak on an issue (they already know the response), by human manners you are obliged to listen to what they have to say. They also will not state their faith initially. This factor alone gives it away that they are evangelical oriented Christians.)
Sherif
In regards to your question. The Quran means by Kalimat Allah to mean that Jesus
(Peace be upon him) was created by God's word, Kun (which means "BE",
and he so he became) just like in the case of the creation of Adam. warohon
minhu means that a spirit was proceeded from him, but not Allah.
Incidentally Sherif, if you happen to be a Christian (and that's no problem at
all) and using this email exchange to try to convert me; as it appears your
trying to use the same old missionary tactic of attempting to prove that Christ
was divine according to the Holy Qur'an. If this is so, then please state your
honest intention, without any ulterior motive. I'll accept any position you
take. And I'll still gladly dialogue with you.
Regards
Malik
Dear Malik:
I am a Christian. In my view, true conversion is a gift from God. No one
can convert another person to God--that is HIS work. But if I have the truth
it is my duty to share it with others since God will use it to do His part.
I assume you have a similar belief which led you to put Islamic books on the
net. I appreciate your openness to dialogue. If our concern is to know God
and the truth, then we should be open to hear anything that might help our
search.
Isa as the Word of God: The Quran did not say that Isa was created by the
Word of God. It says HE IS THE WORD OF GOD. If it meant that he was
created by the Word of God, why is not Adam called the Word of God in the
Quran? No other prophet is given this title! Do you agree with me that this
is significant? The Quran is clearly referring to the Injil when it uses
this title (John 1:1, 14). If He is the Word of God, then He is the perfect
revelation of God. He is also eternal since the Word of God is not created.
As you are well aware, Isa is also described as follows:
1. The only person born of a virgin.
2. The only person without sin.
Malik, please think through this and give me a strong and logical reply. The
issue is very important. Please don't be upset with me.
Sherif
(If I was never blunt with him, it probably would have taken another few email exchanges before he admitted he was a Christian)
Sherif
I'am in no way upset with you, what reason should I be. Your right, God is the
one who guides one to faith. One can only show the light and it is then up to
that person to use their free will to follow that light or not. Indeed an open
mind, allows one to take in new insights and keeps long held opions at a
flexible level.
On to the topic at hand, one of the titles of Jesus (Peace be upon him) is the
Word of God indeed. But the point that it
does not mention Adam as the word of God is a misnomer. A verse in the Quran
reads
The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created
him from
dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was. 3:059
In Islam, this is what we refer as to being created by God's word.
This is the whole concept of God creating Jesus and Adam.
That there was no need for male intervention for procreation (in the case of
Jesus). God has to say BE (Kun) and it comes into existence.
This is how we apply Word of God in the case of Jesus and Adam, they were
created by a divine command. This in no way makes them divine.
The created cannot be equated with the Creator. From the sounds of it, it
appears you are trying to point out that Adam is not explicitly refered to as
Word Of God. The verse mentioned above implies it clearly. But the problem is
not with the Quranic interpretation, your using John 1:1 in order to inject
divinity into the word (Kalimah) in the Quran. So I think we should go to the
root of this and analyse John 1:1.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God."
These are not the words of Jesus, thus they hold much less weight. But I
will entertain it for what it is. This sentence was used by Philo of Alexandria
(my hometown). A Hellenestic Jewish philosopher of the 1st century. In his
literature, it contains chapters in which the John 1:1 verse appears at the beginning of each one. It was written way before the
Gospel of John came into existence. All scholars recognise this.
But there seems to be a problem with translating the verse. The Greek word for
"God" in the first time it occurs in the quotation "and the Word
was With God"? is Hotheos, which literally means "The
God".
Since the European (including the North American) has evolved a system of using
capital letters to start a proper noun and small letters for common nouns, we
would accept his giving a capital "G" for God; in other words Hotheos
is rendered "the god" which in turn is rendered "God".
The Greek word for "God" in the second occurrence in the quotation -
"and the Word was God"? was Tontheos, which means "a
god".
According to your own system of translating you aught to have spelt this word
'God' a second time with a small 'g' i.e. 'god', and not 'God' with a capital
'G'; in other words Tontheos is rendered "a god". Both of
these, "god" or "a god" are correct.
But in 2 Corinthians 4:4 you have dishonestly reversed your system by
using a small 'g' when spelling 'God' "(and the devil is) the god of
this world." The Greek word for "the god" is Hotheos
the same as in John 1:1. "Why have you not been consistent in your
translations ?" "If Paul was inspired to write hotheos the God
for the Devil, why don't you use that capital 'G'?"
And in the Old Testament, the Lord said unto Moses: "See, I have made thee a
god to Pharoah" (Exodus 7:1). "Why do you use a small 'g' for
'God' when referring to Moses instead of a capital 'G' as you do for a mere word
'Word' - "and the Word was God."?
Why do you do this? Why do you play fast and loose with the Word of God?"
This is a concern for the vested interests of Christianity, who are hell-bent to
deify Christ, by using capital letters here and small letters there, to
deceive the unwary masses who think that every letter, every comma and full stop
and the capital and small letters were dictated by God (Capital 'G'
here!).".
The Jehovah's Witnesses, despite their shortcomings, have atleast been honest in
respect to this verse, they translated it as it should be
translated
In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was a god.
This is from their New World Translation. Now you can't honestly Sherif
equate a god with God Almighty. Seeing the fact that Moses, King David and even
the devil can be given this title. And the Quranic concept of the Word is inline
with Monotheistic thinking, rather than the John 1:1 in which it is
intentionally shrouded in mystery, a strong prevailing influence of of the
Greeks at the time. This was also Philos reason for writing his chapters. And he
never claimed divine inspiration for them.
To your point on "He is also eternal since the Word of God is not
created." Well another Hebrew figure seems to disprove that, if we look
into the
Proverbs on Solomon chapter 8:23-30
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains
abounding with water.
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of
the dust of the world.
When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face
of the depth:
When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the
deep:
When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his
commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing always before him;
Well, it also looks like Solomon is a canididate for having lived for eternity.
So is Jeremiah (Jer 1:5). As well as Melchisedic (Hebrews Chapter 7:1). The only
difference is that these prophets say so explicitly.
To the point about that he was the only person born of a virgin. The verse I
quoted you from the Quran about the similitude of Adam and Jesus delivers a
point to Christians. And that is, if Jesus is God because he had no father. Then
Adam is a greater God because he had no father nor mother. This is Christian
logic when reassesed. But there is more than the Adam illustration. If we go
into the Book of Hebrews and read the nature of Melchisedec in chapter 7, we
read
"For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God...
Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning
of days, nor end of life..." (Hebrews 7:1,3)
Here is a candidate for Divinity itself, for only God Almighty could possess
these qualities. Adam had a beginning (in the garden), Jesus had a beginning (in
the stable); Adam had an end and, claim the Christians, so had Jesus "and
he gave up the ghost". So why not worship Melchisedec. (MalikSadik in
Arabic, meaning King of Rightousness).
Onto the final point, that Jesus is a man without sin. This is a point that many
missionaries try to thrust down the Muslim worlds throat, that a sinless (or
faultless) man is better than a repentant man. But according to Jesus, this was
not so. Infact you would be going against his teachings if you said to the
contrary.
In Matthew 18:12, we read the 'Story of a Lost Sheep'.: In this story, Jesus
says: "If a man has a 100 sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he
not leave the 99 on the hills, and go on the search of the one that went astray.
And if he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the
99 that never went astray."
In a statement on this same subject, the
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "One who repents from sin is
like one without sin." (Reported by Abu 'Ubaidah ibn 'Abdullaah and
collected by Ibn Majah. Classified as "hasan" by Shaikh Nasr ad-Deen
al-Albaani.) So it seems that Muslims, in their beliefs, are being more true to
both the teachings of Jesus AND the teachings of Muhammad, peace be upon them,
than their Christian counterparts.
Sherif, I hope this has answered your questions. Everything I have written is
logical, as I always base my claims on the Bible and recorded history. As long
as your mind is open to reason and not emotion or mysteries, you can begin to
see everything in perspective. As Islam is the same religion practiced by all
the Prophets of age. When you study the teachings of Moses, Jesus and Muhammed
(Peace be upon them all), you'll see a common thread that runs through the them.
I finish off by stating a verse from the Quran
O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of God
aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger
of
God, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him:
so believe in God and His messengers. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it
will be better for you:
for God is one God: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To
Him
belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is God as a Disposer
of
affairs.
4.171
The same book (the Holy Qur'an) in which you attempt to prove Jesus is God is
clearly refuted. by stating that he was no more than
a Messenger of God, like the many Messengers that came before him. Respect him,
revere him, honour him; but do not worship him.
As worship is due to Allah only (Glory be to him). Just as Jesus prayed to the
Loving Father in heaven, so you too should follow in his footsteps and pray to
the same Supreme being that he was praying too.
I hope to hear from you Sherif
Regards
Malik