Does Islam Promote Peace

8/9/2019 Does Islam Promote Peace

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DOES ISLAM PROMOTE PEACE?

My recent one-page article: " Islam: More than a Religion " has inspired a lot of emailssome positive, some negative. Whether you are for or against what I have written, I appreciate hearingfrom you. God has given me a deep love and a burden for Muslims. My wife and I have

hundreds of friends and acquaintances who are Muslims. Since "9-11", many non-Muslims in theWest have been quizzing me on Islamthe most common question being, "Is Islam a religion of peace?" I confess that I do not know everything there is to know about Islam, but based on twodecades of living in a majority-Muslim country and hundreds (perhaps thousands) of hours spentstudying the Quran and other Islamic source materials, let me attempt to answer this questionfrom an Evangelical Christian perspective.

The Arabic word for peace is salaam a word included in the Arabic/Muslim greetings. Islam isArabic for surrender or submission . Mu slim means one who submits . For many non-Muslims,the word Muslim is synonymous with angry mobs and suicidal bombers. Such stereotyping of Muslims is patently wrong. Most Muslims are ordinary, peace-loving people with their own set

of dreams and problems and should be treated with the same respect we give to any other fellowhuman being.

For the record, let me say that Jesus Christ taught his followers to "love your enemies, bless thosewho curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and

persecute you." (Injil, Matthew 5:44 NKJV). Notwithstanding Jesuss clear teaching andexample, over the centuries, much violence and evil has been committed by those who callthemselves "Christians". Just as there are many who call themselves Muslims who do not liveaccording to the teachings of Muhammad, it is safe to say that many who call themselves"Christians" do not live according to the teachings of Christ.

Let me also say that I can identify with Muslims around the world who are upset with theshameful moral standards portrayed in so many American movies and other media forms whichoften glamorize violence and normalize anti-family/anti-God values. While there are stillmultitudes of people in the West who lead godly lives and enjoy close, loving familyrelationships, the media tends to ignore such examples, choosing rather to publicize the amoralones. Unfortunately, many mistakenly equate such permissiveness and evil with "Christianity."

Nothing could be further from what Christ taught and exemplified. While it is true that theAmerican nation was founded on Christian principles, the USA is not a "Christian nation". In thestrict sense of the word, it is wrong to speak of any country as a "Christian nation" since JesusChrist said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servantswould fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."

(John 18:36) The only "Christian nation" acknowledged in the Bible is made up of helplesssinners from "every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9) who have been"born again" (See Injil, John 3) or "saved" (See Romans chapters 3 to 5, and 10) by believingthe Good News of the prophets concerning GODS WAY of Salvation. True Christianity is not aRELIGION, but a RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ. Ill comment on this further at the end of this article.


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Now let us get on with our subject: DOES ISLAM PROMOTE PEACE? If so, what kind of peace? Recently, a Muslim young man gave me a pamphlet entitled "Islam Explained" (by theIslamic Circle of North America). It states that Islam "instructs people on how they may livetogether in peace and harmony regardless of race, class or beliefs." While I would agree thatmost Muslims are in favor of "peace and harmony regardless of race, class or beliefs", the

question we want to answer is: Are Muslims for peace bec au

se of Islam or in spit e of Islam?Does Islam itsel f promote peace and tolerance? Consider the following data ...

1 . WHAT THE QURAN SAYS. The familiar term jihad , often translated holy war , literallymeans struggle. Many Muslims emphasize that jihad is about struggling against evil desires and,if necessary, defending ones homeland and religious heritage. "Fight for the sake of God thosethat fight against you, but do not attack them first. God does not love the aggressors. Slay themwherever you find them. Drive them out of the places from which they drove you. Idolatry ismore grievous than bloodshed.... Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Gods religionreigns supreme." (Quran 2:190-192) [Note: Quranic quotes from N.J.Dawoods Englishtranslation (The Koran, Penguin Books, UK, 1993)]. A favorite verse of moderate Muslims is

2:256 which says: "Let there be no compulsion in religion. True guidance is now distinct fromerror." Militant Muslims, however, will point you to numerous Quranic texts where Muhammad(as Allahs spokesman) commands his followers to fight and subdue all who resist Islam. Whatleads young men to volunteer to die for the privilege of killing others "for the cause of Allah"?Could it have something to do with the fact that Islam offers no certain hope of heaven to any of its adherents, with one exception? Consider these few Quranic verses...

y "As for those who are slain in the cause of God, He will not allow their works to perish.... He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to them." (47:4-6)

y "Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter, fight for the causeof God; whether he dies or triumphs, We shall richly reward him. ... The true believers

fight for the cause of God, but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan ..." (4:74,76)

y "The believers who stay at homeapart from those that suffer a grave impedimentarenot the equals of those who fight for the cause of God with their goods and their persons.God has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank thanthose who stay at home ..." (4:95,96)

y "Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. ... lie in ambush everywhere for them. If theyrepent and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way ..." (9:5)

y "Those that make war against God and His apostle and spread disorder in the land shall be put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or bebanished from the land. They shall be held up to shame in this world and sternly

punished in the hereafter: except those that repent before you reduce them ..." (5:34,35)y "Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and Gods religion shall reign supreme"

(8:39)y "Prophet, rouse the faithful to arms. If there are twenty steadfast men among you, they

shall vanquish two hundred; and if there are a hundred, they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of understanding." (8:65)

y "Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given ... and do not embracethe true Faith, u ntil th ey pa y tri bu t e ou t of hand and ar e u tt erl y su bd u ed ." (9:29)


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The Quran contains scores of similar verses.

Most Muslim Scholars see the world divided into two "houses" the House of Peace ( Dar Al-Salaam ) and the House of War ( Dar Al-Harb ). The general idea is that Muslims belong to the

House of Peace , while those who have not yet submitted to Islam belong to the House of War

until they are "utterly subdued." However, even this distinction is often blurred since militantMuslims (who take the above verses at face value) also include moderate Muslims in the Houseof War . Consider further...

2 . ISLAMIC NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD. The concept of jihad is rooted in another concept Sharia (Islamic law). Many of the worlds more than forty majority-Muslim countrieshave embraced Sharia, and those that have not are under relentless pressure to do so. For example, over the past nine years in Algeria, some 100,000 Muslims have been slain by militantMuslims. The reason? These militant Muslims want political control of the nation. This is a

growing trend in the Islamic worldeven though it is a trend despised by most Muslims.

In the 94% Muslim country of Senegal (where freedom of religion is granted and Sharia isrefused), several Middle Eastern countries send over their Islamic teachers, build Islamic schoolsand finance more mosques in an effort to "purify" Senegals Islam. So what does "pure Islam"look like? Many Muslims will tell you that there is no country in the world that exemplifies trueIslam. Yet Islam claims to be a religion that has the answers for society, a religion that offers

peace and wholeness. So where should we look to get an example of what true Islam looks like?Iran? Afghanistan? Pakistan? Libya? Turkey? Indonesia? Egypt? How about Saudi Arabia?

While most Muslims decry the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as corruptit is nonetheless the

"keeper of Islam" and the religious center toward which more than one billion Muslims face fivetimes a day as they repeat their prayers in Arabic. In Saudi Arabia, freedom of religion isnonexistent. It is illegal to read a Bible or vocalize a non-Muslim prayer in the privacy of your own home. Under Islamic law, conversion to Christianity by a Saudi citizen is punishable by

beheading. Saudis leaders do not support the idea that Islam "instructs people on how they maylive together in peace and harmony regardless of race, class or beliefs." According to AmnestyInternational, the persecution of Christians in Saudi Arabia has "increased dramatically" sincethe Gulf War. More than a thousand cases have been documented in which Christian foreignworkers have been arrested, imprisoned and/or beaten for participating in private worshipmeetings. Add to that the fact that numerous incidents go unreported, especially amongEgyptians, Indians, Koreans, Filipinos and other Third World workers who fear further reprisalsagainst them and their families.

A more moderate Islamic nation across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia is Egypt. I recently met afamily who has fled Egypt to seek asylum in the West. The reason? Constant harassment becauseof their religious beliefs. In Egypt, Christians can't even paint their walls or do minor repairs ontheir church buildings without a building permita permit that is virtually impossible to obtain.One particular woman had her identity papers confiscated and is being kept under house arrest all because she left Islam to follow Christ. The charge of "denigrating Islam" is regularly leveled


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against Christians who are involved in leading a Muslim to Christ. Many Christians living inUpper Egypt have been pressured to pay "protection money" to Muslim racketeers. Those whorefuse have been subjected to violent attacks. In October of 1995, Shehata Fawzi (a Christianfarmer) was shot to death when he refused to pay 5000 Egyptian pounds to local Muslims. TheCairo-based center for Human Rights/Legal Aid reports the murder of dozens of Copts over the

past several years. Last report, the government has failed to put a stop to it. Meanwhile, themilitant Gamaa al-Ialamiya group wants to replace Egypts "moderate" government with amore strict Islamic state!

The harsh reality is that in every country where Sharia is embraced, non-Muslims face restrictedreligious freedom and harassmentfor nothing other than their religious beliefs. It should besaid that there are times when governments, groups or individuals use Islam primarily as a

pretext for carrying out their political-economic-cultural agenda. A horrifying example can beseen just south of Egyptin central Sudan, where, since 1983, the Muslim government of Khartoum has exterminated more than two million Sudanese. Another five million have beendisplaced. Burning of villages and farms, slavery, rape, torture, forced Quranic indoctrination of

children, and bombings of churches are regular events. Meanwhile, over in Indonesia, Laskar Jihad, a well-organized, well-funded, and well-armed Islamic militia has waged a campaign toannihilate the Christian population there. Over the past several years, thousands of Indonesianshave been butchered for refusing to convert to Islam. If Islam is for "peace and harmonyregardless of race, class or beliefs"then where is the loud and clear, widespread outrage fromthe Muslim community over such carnage committed in the name of Allah?

Yes, accusations could be raised about horrible atrocities committed by many who have calledthemselves Christians (Crusades, Inquisition, slave trade, abortions, etc.). Yet, is there not afundamental difference between the two? While the Bible clearly states that governments have aright to use the "sword" as "Gods minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practicesevil" (Romans 13:4), the use of violence to further Christianity is in absolute opposition to theteaching and example of Jesus who prayed for those who crucified Him , "Father, forgivethem..." (Luke 23:34). On the other hand, the use of aggression to further Islam is, at times, inapparent harmony with the teaching of the Quran (see above verses in the first point) and theexample of Muhammad.

3 . MUHAMMADS EXAMPLE. History tells us that, at first, Muhammad did not use force toinduce the Jews, Christians and pagans to accept Islam. Later, however, when people andcircumstances turned against him and when he began to gather an army to himself, he begantelling his followers that the latest "revelations from Allah" were saying things like, "Prophet,make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall betheir home." (9:73) Thus began Muhammads career of warring in the name of Allah. Thosedefeated by Muhammad were offered protection if they would submit to the dictates of Islam.Those that refused to become Muslims had the "choice" either to pay tribute or to be put to death.This is the apparent "peace and tolerance" Muhammad offered to non-Muslims in his treaty withthe people of Khaibar and to others. Non-Muslims were the Dhimmis (the people of obligation)and, as such, were to be " u tt erl y su bd u ed " (9:29).


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About twenty years ago, a Muslim neighbor lent me his book on the life of Muhammad, hopingto attract me to Islam. Amid the many positive things recorded about Muhammad, one phrasethat sticks with me to this day is that the Muslim author wrote that Muhammad could be both"compassionate and cruel ." One of the better-known examples of Muhammads "cruel side" isrecorded in several Hadiths, as well as in other writings such as the History of Tabari, Sirat Rasul

Allah, and the Kitab Al Tabaqat Al Kabir ...

"A group of eight men from the tribe of 'Ukil came to the Prophet and then they found theclimate of Medina unsuitable for them. So, they said, O Allah's Apostle! Provide us with somemilk. Allah's Apostle said, I recommend that you should join the herd of camels. So they wentand drank the urine and the milk of the camels (as a medicine) till they became healthy and fat.Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels, and they became unbelievers after they were Muslims. When the Prophet was informed by a shouter for help, he sent some men intheir pursuit, and before the sun rose high, they were brought, and he had their hands and feet cutoff. Then he ordered for nails which were heated and passed over their eyes, and they were left inthe Harra (i.e. rocky land in Medina). They asked for water, and nobody provided them with

water till they died." ( Hadith, Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 261 : Narrated by Anas bin Malik.)

The oldest still-available biography of Muhammad is called the "Sirat Rasul Allah" ("Life of theProphet of Allah"). This book was written by Ibn Ishaq a century before any of the major worksof the Hadith. "Sirat Rasulallah" is considered the most authentic biography of Muhammad. On

page 515, we read of an event that took place about three years before Muhammad's death. Thisspecific narrative tells of Muhammads conquest of Khaibar, a large Jewish settlement with someof the best date palms in the region. The Jews of Khaibar were prosperous merchants, craftsmen,and farmers. Kinana al-Rabi, who was said to have had the custody of a certain hidden treasure,was brought to Muhammad who asked him about it. Kinana denied that he knew where it was. AJew came to the apostle and said that he had seen Kinana going round a certain ruin everymorning early. When the apostle said to Kinana, "Do you know that if we find you have it I shallkill you?" he said "Yes." Muhammad gave orders that the ruin be excavated and some of thetreasure was found. When he asked Kinana about the rest of the treasure he refused to produce it,so the apostle gave orders to al-Zubayr Al-Awwam, "Torture him until you extract what he has."So he kindled a fire with flint and steel on his chest until he was nearly dead. Then Muhammaddelivered him to Muhammad b. Maslama and he struck off his head. Were Muhammads actionsin keeping with a religion that is for peace? And this is only one such example among many.

Friends, do not take my word on this. Do your own research. Take a look at the above-mentioned biography (English translation: "The Life of Muhammad" by A. Guillaume; Oxford Univ. Press)or "23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad" (by Ali Dashti; Mazda), or readsome of the Hadiths. You will even read of instances in which Muhammad had innocent people

put to death (such as Abu Afak, a 120-year-old man and Asma bint Marwan the mother of fivechildren, a slave woman mother of two children, and the one-eye shepherd, all murdered whilethey slept. Their only crime was that they somehow offended "the prophet.")

I am keenly aware that such information is both painful and offensive for my dear Muslimfriends. Yet truth is truth. Jesus didnt beat around the bush when He said, "Beware of false


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prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even soevery good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ... False prophets will arise and

show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told youbefore hand. ... Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the

blind, both will fall into a ditch." (Injil, Matthew 7:15-17; 24:23,24; 15:14)

4 . HISTORY OF ISLAMIC EXPANSION. Encarta Encyclopedia 99 says: "The remarkablespeed of [Islams] religious expansion can be attributed to the fact that it was accomplished

primarily through military conquest. Muhammad drew Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula to Islam by his forceful personality, the promise of salvation for those who died fighting for Islam, andthe lure of fortune for those who succeeded in conquest. The caravan raids of the early years of Islam soon became full-scale wars, and empires and nations bowed to the power of this newreligious, military, political, economic, and social phenomenon."

Yet in the booklet "The Basics of Islam at a Glance" prepared by The Islamic Cultural Center (Tempe, Arizona), we read: "There is no historical proof that Islam was spread by the sword.Even non-Muslim scholars now admit that this is nothing more than a vicious myth which cannot

be substantiated by historical fact." However, on an Islamic question-and-answer website wefind a more honest assertion: " Question: Some enemies of the religion claim that Islam wasspread by the sword. What is your response to that? Answer: Islam was spread by proof andevidence, in the case of those who listened to the message and responded to it. And it was spread

by strength and the sword in the case of those who stubbornly resisted, until they had no choiceand had to submit to the new reality." ( www.islam-qa.com - question #5441)

Many say, "Well, what about Joshua and the Israelites? The Bible records that they exterminatedentire cities of people!" True. But a close look reveals a quite different set of circumstances. Justas God (after hundreds of years of patient forbearance) had judged evil with a flood in Noahsday, and fire from heaven on Sodom in Abrahams day, so God used the people of Israel to judgethe Canaanite nations. God waited hundreds of years before judging these nations, giving themtime to repent and turn from their wicked ways of idolatry, immorality and human sacrifice.They ignored the witness of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, Moses and the ten plagues thatcame upon the Egyptians. Thus, God, at this particular time in history, used the Israelites to carryout His judgments. But please notice that this was no random warfare! These battles were carriedout under specific commands from God with limitations. Sometimes God forbade the children of Israel to take any part of the spoil. The victories included miraculous interventions from God such as Jerichos wall falling outward (confirmed by archeology by the way) after the Israeliteshad marched around them on seven consecutive days. Notice also that God was fair and impartialin His judgments. For example, in the Torah, Numbers 25-31, we read how God first strikes theIsraelites with a plague because of their idolatry and adultery. 24,000 Israelites die. Only after God had judged Israel does He send them forth to judge the surrounding nations.

Muhammads wars and later Islamic wars of expansion were very different from Gods acts of judgment as recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible. Muhammad would make treaties with


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the idolaters as long as he was still in the minority, but when he grew strong, he freely used the power of his human armytaking justice into his own hands. He gained great wealth from thewar spoils. Muhammads wars were partialalways against non-Muslims, with little or nomercyquite different from what we see a loving, long-suffering God doing through His

prophets and chosen people under the Old Covenant. Whats more, Muhammad totally ignored

the long-promised "New Covenant" which Jesus established and in which He commands Hisdisciples: "Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. ... A new commandment I give to you, that you love oneanother; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you aremy disciples, if you have love for one another." (Injil, Matthew 5:44; John 13:34,35)

5 . TREATMENT OF APOSTATES. Under Islamic law (based on the Quran, the example of Muhammad [ sunna ] and the consensus [ id jmaa ]), whoever falls away from faith in Islamcommits an "unforgivable sin." Such "apostates" must be taken into custody by force, and called

on to repent. He who does not turn back to Islam has, according to Sharia, forfeited his life andis to be put to death by the state. While this is not carried out on a regular basis in most Islamiclands, the threat of it is there.

According to the daily paper, Al Alam, King Hassan II of Morocco, also the imam of hiscountry, presented the following state of affairs before a human rights commission on May 15,1990: "If a Muslim says, I have embraced another religion instead of Islam, hebefore he iscalled to repentancewill be brought before a group of medical specialists, so that they canexamine him to see if he is still in his right mind. After he has then been called to repentance, butdecides to hold fast to the testimony of another religion not coming from Allahthat is, notIslamhe will be judged."

It is no wonder that a major section of the Muslim population in majority-Muslim countries likeAlgeria, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia resists the full introduction of Sharia . They do not wishto come under the frightening yoke of oppression which demands that thieves have their handsand feet amputated, adulterers be whipped, and converts to Christianity be killed. However, asignificant minority of Muslims passionately demand the immediate adoption of Sharia and are

prepared, in some places, to fight for it with the help of terrorism and revolutions. In eachIslamic country, militants and moderates wrestle over the Sharia . Unquestionably, Islam isgoing through a global identity crisistrying to define what it will become in the 21 st century.

In pointing these things out, let me remind you that I am not blind to the madness of theInquisition of the Middle Ages, in which those who refused to submit to the "Church" weresubsequently tortured and killed for their "apostasy". Once again, however, we must point outthat this evil in Church history was in direct opposition to the law and spirit of Christ. Pleasekeep this distinction in mind. In Jesus Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15), the father did not havehis rebellious son followed, locked up, tortured, starved or killed. He gave his son freedom tochoose (and to suffer the natural consequences of his choices). While God has committed muchauthority to individuals and to governments, torturing or killing those who refuse to believe andobey Gods way of Salvation is NOT something He has asked man to do! Ultimately GOD will


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judge every person. "For it is written: As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14:11,12; Isaiah 45:21-23)

6 . TREATMENT OF WOMEN. Our search for an answer to the question "Does Islam promote peace and tolerance?" would not be complete without at least mentioning Islams treatment of women. This is a subject which requires a very balanced approach. Many Muslims point to theextremes and licentiousness of women in the West as portrayed on television as proof that onlyIslam can put a stop to such permissiveness. This is because they do not know what the Gospelof Jesus Christ does in the life of those who believe. The loose women flaunted in movies do

NOT reflect what a true Christian woman is like. If you know some true Christian women personally, then you know that such godly women are characterized by a desire to obey theBible, which teaches "the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to bediscreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may

not be blasphemed." (Titus 2:4,5)While the status of women varies greatly between Muslim countries, I highly recommend twoinsightful books, "Not Without My Daughter" (by Betty Mahmoody) and "Princess" (by JeanSasson). The first book opens a window on the lives of women in Iran, the latter on those inSaudi Arabia. We have all been made aware recently of the extreme oppression of women inAfghanistan. Though the Taliban has been ousted, much of their strict legal code remains intact.While the vast majority of Muslims condemn the extremes of the Taliban, few are willing tospeak out on behalf of the women in their own lands. Muslims have a very difficult timeunderstanding a true Christians marriage relationship, in which the husband is the leader, but aservant-leader who loves his wife enough to put her needs before his own. The New Testament

Scriptures teach that "husbands ought to l ove th eir own wi ves as th eir own bodi es; he who loveshis wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just asthe Lord does the church." (Eph 5:28,29) Meanwhile the Quran says, "As for those [wives] fromwhom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat th em . Then if they obey you, take no further action against them." (4:34)

We now come to the most important point of all...

7 . THE MUSLIMS RELATIONSHIP TO GOD. As important as the above points are inanswering the question "Does Islam promote Peace?", they all pale into relative insignificancewhen compared to this final point.

Islam sees Muslims as slaves of Allah. While the Quran says that God is closer to man "than his jugular vein" (50:16)such nearness is a technical nearness. For Muslims, God is great, butunknowable. Like so many who call themselves Christians, Muslims have religion , but they donot have a personal relationship with God. If you like religion , Islam has a lot to offer. But if youwant a relationship with the one true God and the peace and assurance that comes from knowing


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Him personally, then you will need to look back into the Scriptures of the prophets and to theGospel of Jesus.

Muslims are quick to say, "We believe all the prophets!" and "We believe in Jesus! He was agreat prophet!" In response to these statements, I ask my Muslim friends, "What does it mean to

believe a prophet? Does it not mean to understand and believe th eir messag e? And where do wefind the message of the prophets? Is it not in the Scriptures of the prophets?"

The Quran frequently mentions the Torah (Taurat), the Psalms (Zabur) and the Gospel (Injil) as being the Word of God (5:44-46; 4:163; 40:71; 10:94; etc.), and that "the Word of God shall never change. That is the supreme triumph." (10:64) If the Quran is trustworthy to a Muslim,and if he is honest, there is no way that he can reject "the previous scriptures" (Quran 20:133).Yet all of my Muslim friends reject the message of these books, saying that they have beenaltered, corrupted, changed, ad nauseam . After twenty years of asking, I still wait to hear whochanged what and when. As is the case to this very day, many of the Jews and Christians wereguilty of twisting their Scriptures with their tongue (Quran 3:71,78), but the fact is that the

Scripture was considered intact during the time of Muhammad (3:93; 10:94; 21:7; etc.).The Scriptures of the Bible are based on tens of thousands of ancient copies of manuscripts.Some of the scripts of the Old Testament go back to the 3 rd century B.C. and some of the Gospel(New Testament) scripts go back to the 1 st and 2 nd century A.D. with complete New Testamentscripts dating back to the 4 th century A.D. The Bible has been wonderfully preservedespeciallywhen you remember that the oldest books of the Bible have been copied by hand over a period of about 2900 years (before they were first printed). For the Quran this period was 2000 yearsshorterand it certainly shows no fewer variations between its many ancient copies. Contrary towhat so many have been led to believe, the Bible is by very far the best documented and

preserved script of antiquity. There is more evidence for the reliability of the text of the New

Testament than there is for any ten pieces of classical literature put together. The New Testamenttext is in better textual shape than the 37 plays of William Shakespeare which were written amere 300 years ago (after the invention of the printing press!). Yes, there are minor variations

between the thousands of copies of Scripturea word here and there, a paragraph omitted insome and included in othersbut these variations in no way affect the message of that which the

prophets have written. By the way, it is important to see how the Scriptures of the Bible provethemselves to be the Word of the one true God. One of the main ways the Biblendreds of precise

prophecies about nations, cities, individuals and the Messiah. Though written hundreds of years beforehand, history records the precise fulfilment of these prophecies. Folks may try to brushaside the hundreds of fulfilled prophecies recorded in the Bible, but they cannot deny them. TheQuran cannot measure up to this standard in the slightest. If me saying this upsets you, please dowrite to me personally and I will be happy to back up this point with a list of fulfilled Bible

prophecies. Listen to what God Himself has to say. "Present your case," says the LORD. "Bring forth your strong reasons ... Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods ... Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; He who chooses you is anabomination." (Isaiah 41:21-24)

Over a period of 1500 years, God inspired some 40 prophets and apostles to write down Hiswords and His dealings with mankind. God wants us to understand who He is and what He is


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like, why He made man, the nature and consequences of sin, and how helpless sinners can be brought into a close relationship with a holy and perfect God and enjoy peace with Him forever.This is the message of Gods prophets.

The sad, hardcore reality is thatwhile Islam professes belief in "all the prophets"IT DENIES

THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF THE PROPHETS. What is the central message of the prophetsof the Bible? That God, in His infinite plan and unmeasurable love, would "become flesh" inorder to fulfill the symbolic meaning of millions of animal sacrifices and hundreds of detailed

propheciesby willingly shedding His blood as the perfect substitutionary sacrifice to pay thesin-penalty for helpless sinners, and then conquer death by rising from the gravethusestablishing an everlasting peace between the one true God and all who believe in HIM and HISway of salvation.

Muslims feel that God is "too great" to need to become a man in order to reveal Himself to us. If you feel this way please keep in mind that there is more than one kind of "greatness." There isthe "greatness" of a king who lives in his imperial palace, surrounded by wealth and luxury and

slaves to keep Him comfortable, yet remains indifferent to the pains of his subjects. There is alsothe greatness of a skilled doctor who forsakes a lucrative medical practice in his homeland to goto the poorest of the poor and serve them, heal them, and lay down his life for them. Which kindof greatness do you think is most worthy of a merciful and gracious God?

Listen to what the prophet Isaiah wrote concerning the coming Messiah 700 years before Jesuswas born. "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [meaning, "God with us"]. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given ... and His namewill be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, P rin ce of P eace. ... Hewas wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for ou r peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; 53:5)

Seven centuries later, the promised P rin ce of P eace was born into our sinful world. The night before His crucifixion, He told His disciples, " P eace I leave with you, M y peace I give to you;not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ...Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends. If the world hates

you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. ... But all these things they will do to you for My names sake, because they do not know Him who sent me." (John 14:27; 15:13,20,21)

Hours later Jesus willingly allowed the religious leaders to arrest Him, try Him and turn Himover to the Roman authorities to be crucified. Thus, in the same hills where Abraham, some 2000years earlier, had killed a ram in place of his son and predicted the greater sacrifice that was tocomeJesus died as the once-for-all sacrifice to pay for the sins of the worldso that whoever

believes in Him should not perish, but should have eternal life. This was Gods plan from the beginning.

As predicted, on the third day after Jesus died, He came out of the grave, the triumphant Savior and Lord of all who believe in Him. That same day, Jesus met with two Middle-Eastern menwho did not understand how Jesus, who had been crucified, could be the Messiah. Jesus said to


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them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that th e pr o ph ets ha ve spoke n ! Ought not the Messiah to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory? And beginning at

Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all th e Sc ript u r es the things concerning Himself." (Luke 24:25-27)

Muslims are much like those two Middle-Eastern men. As with most Jews, the concept of acrucified Messiah is a contradiction in terms (like a married bachelor!). They do not understand"all that the prophets have spoken." Muslims even go so far as to deny the historical record of Jesus death since the Quran states: " They denied the truth and uttered a monstrous falsehood against Mary. They declared: We have put to death the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, theapostle of Allah. They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared so to them." (4:157) Amadou Hampat Ba in his book "Jesus as Seen by a Muslim" writes: "Any disloyalty toJesus must be punished in the same way as blasphemy against Mohammed. There is no doubtabout it, in Islam, that the one who blasphemes against Jesus is promised hell fire." Yetconcerning Christs death Ba writes: "On this point, we differ with our Christian brothers. For us,Jesus will certainly die, but he has not yet died ."

Dear friend, if Jesus did not die on the cross, then please tell me, WHAT IS THE MEANING OFTHE ANIMAL SACRIFICE? And WHY ALL THE PROPHECIES ABOUT A SUFFERINGMESSIAH? And WHY DID JESUS HIMSELF KEEP TELLING HIS DISCIPLES THAT HEWOULD BE CRUCIFIED AND BE RAISED AGAIN THE THIRD DAY? I invite you to readPsalm 22 and Isaiah 53 for starterstwo Old Testament passages which predict with precisionhow the Messiah would suffer and die as a sacrificial payment for the sins of the world. God isholy and His holiness requires that sins be paid for. "The payment for sin is death!"NOT good works but death and eternal separation from God! Jesus died in our place. He took our hell, sothat God can count us righteous and allow us to live with Him forever.

The Senegalese people of West Africa have a proverb that says: " A woodcutter doesnt cutdown the village's main tree !" Located on the edge of the Sahara desert, each village has its primary, centrally located shade tree under which folks pass the time of day, drink tea, and holdimportant meetings. What would happen if a woodcutter started to chop down the villages

biggest, most central tree? Yes, the villagers would become very angry ... and they would put astop to it ... immediately!

To my dear Muslim friends who reject the historical and prophetical record concerning Christscrucifixion I say: How do you think God feels when you chop at His "main tree"? All of Gods prophets pointed to the sacrificial death of the Messiah. Nothing is more basic to Godsplan of salvation. Yet Islam teaches that there is no need for such a sacrifice ... and that it, infact, did not even happen!

Friend, it is unwise to chop at Gods "main tree"" Listen to what Jesus said to His disciples somemonths before He willingly gave Himself up to die for our sins. "From that time Jesus began to

show to His disciples that He m u st go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him asideand began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You !" But


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He turned and said to Peter, " G et behind M e, S atan! Yo u ar e an offe ns e t o M e, fo r you ar e not mind f u l of th e things of G od , b u t the things of men. " (Injil, Matthew 16:21-23)

Does Islam promote peace? How can it promote true peace when it denies the very means Godhas provided to establish a lasting peace between God and man, and between man and

man? All the prophets bear witness to the fact that Jesus "made peace through the blood of Hiscross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now Hehas reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight... For [Christ Jesus] Himself is our peace , who has made both one,and has broken down the middle wall of division between us ..." (Colossians 1:20-22; Ephesians2:14) Or as the prophet Micah wrote of the Messiah 700 years before He was born, "This One

shall be peace ."

God wants to give you His peace that surpasses human understanding, but we must submit toHIS WAY of salvation. To all who truly believe that Jesus is who He and the prophets said Hewas, and that He died in your place for your sins, and rose again from the deadGod promises

to give that which religion can never provide: Salvation from the penalty and power of sin, acredited-righteousness, assurance of sins forgiven, a cleansed conscience, a deep peace, anuntouchable joy, a new nature, a personal relationship with God, an eternal home with Him inParadise, and more! One day Jesus will return to earth to establish His Kingdom of peace,meanwhile He wants to establish His kingdom of peace and righteousness inside of you . But youmust believe the Good News about who He is and what He came to do. "Do you believe the

prophets?" (Acts 26:27)

Remember, to believe in Jesus Christ is not to embrace a RELIGION. Religion is humans tryingto work their way to God through prayers, good works, etc. The Gospel (Injil, Good News) of Jesus Christ is God coming to men and women in the Person of Jesus and offering them a

RELATIONSHIP with Himself. And what makes it so wonderful and sure is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that "which God promised BEFOREHAND through His prophets in the fHolyScriptures..." (Romans 1:2).

There is so much more that I would like to write, but I must stop here. However, if the truemessage of Gods prophets is not clear in your minddont YOU stop here! Get a copy of theBible and begin by reading the New Testament or log on to:http://www.goodseed.com/theprophetsenglish.aspx and download the book ALL THAT THEPROPHETS HAVE SPOKEN. You will be amazed at how unmistakably clear Gods truemessage is! The back cover of this book reads: "History is strewn with wars and scrapping over religion. With the advent of the global village, people of different beliefs are being pressed upagainst each other, and the potential for ma jor conflict is enormous. It behooves us to know what our neighbors believe and why they believe it. Though we may never agree with them, when weknow what people believe, at the very least, we c an int ellig entl y disagr ee w ith ou t being disagr eeabl e." This book is a must read.

Another excellent book is THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Its a bit longer, but, like "Allthat the Prophets have Spoken", it too clearly explains the central message of Gods prophets.Check it out at http://www.injil.org/TWOR/ .


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If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you personally. Write me at:[email protected] .

Above all, I beg you to take seriously this invitation from GOD Himself ...

" Yo

uwill seek

M e and f ind

M e, WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR

M E W IT H ALL YOUR HEAR T ... Fo r I k now th e th ou ghts that I thin k t oward you , sa ys th e LORD, T HOU G H T S OF P EACE

and n ot of ev il , t o gi ve yo u a f u t u r e and a ho pe ." (Jeremiah 29:13,11)

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Does Islam Promote Peace