Your objections, answered
In this path
Related questions
God
- Is the God of Islam loving and merciful?Yes. The Qur'an says Allah's (﷾) mercy extends to all things. All but one of its 114 chapters open by calling Him Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
- Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?Yes. Muslims worship the God (﷾) of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and they worship Him as Jesus did.
Jesus
- Did Jesus die on the cross?No. The Qur'an says Jesus was neither killed nor crucified. It was only made to appear so, and Allah (﷾) raised him up to Himself.
- What is the sign of Jonah, and does the Christian story fit it?The Christian story does not fit it. In Matthew, Jesus promised one sign only, to those who demanded a sign: the sign of Jonah.
- Did God answer Jesus' prayer to be saved from death?Yes. The letter to the Hebrews says Jesus prayed to the One able to save him from death, and that he was heard.
- Did Jesus go willingly to the cross?No, not on the Gospels' own account of his last night. He said his soul was sorrowful even unto death.
- Was Jesus cursed by God on the cross?No. The Qur'an says his enemies did not kill Jesus or crucify him, so no curse ever touched him.
- If Jesus is God, why did he pray?He prayed because he was not God. The Gospels show him praying to God (﷾) again and again.
Qur'an
- Is the Qur'an foretold in the Bible?Yes. Several passages in the Bible fit the Qur'an closely. In Deuteronomy, God (﷾) promises a prophet like Moses and says He will put His words in his mouth.
- Does the "Islamic dilemma" prove the Qur'an wrong?No. The dilemma says the Qur'an confirms the Bible, so either the Bible is reliable and Islam is false, or the Qur'an was wrong.
- Does the Qur'an tell Muslims to follow the Bible?No. The Qur'an tells Muslims to follow the Prophet (ﷺ) and the revelation sent down to him, not the Bible as it now stands.
- Do Muslims believe in the books God gave Moses and Jesus?Yes. Belief in God's (﷾) books is part of a Muslim's faith. The Qur'an says God (﷾) gave the Torah to Moses, the Psalms to David and the Injil (the Gospel Jesus preached) to Jesus.
- Could Muhammad (ﷺ) have learned the Qur'an's science from the Greeks or Persians?No. Greek science did exist in the region, but none of it was in Arabic in the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
Islam
- Is Isaiah 42 about the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)?Yes. Isaiah 42 foretells the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). It speaks of God's (﷾) chosen servant, who will not fail until he has set justice in the earth.
- Who is the Comforter Jesus promised in John 14-16?The Paraclete is a human prophet, and Muslims hold that he is Muhammad (ﷺ).
- Is Mecca in the Bible?The Bible does not name the city of Mecca. It does name Ishmael's land and his sons, and Isaiah 60 foresees their flocks accepted at God's (﷾) house.
- What does the Bible mean by God coming from Paran?Deuteronomy 33:2 names Paran, where Ishmael grew up, as a place from which God (﷾) came.
- Who is the prophet like Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18?The prophet like Moses is Muhammad (ﷺ), not Jesus. God (﷾) told Moses He would raise up a prophet "like unto thee" from among the Israelites' "brethren".
- Has Islam been part of Europe?Yes. Islam has been part of Europe for about thirteen centuries. Muslims ruled in Spain from 711 until 1492, and for centuries over most of it.
- What did Jesus mean by 'the kingdom of God shall be taken from you'?Jesus meant that the kingdom of God (﷾) would be taken from the leaders of Israel and given to another nation.
- Which prophets are named in the Qur'an?The Qur'an names twenty-five prophets, in the list commonly taught. The first are Adam, Idris, Noah, Hud and Salih.
- Were many of the Africans enslaved in the Americas Muslims?Yes. Historians estimate that hundreds of thousands of the Africans carried across the Atlantic in chains were Muslims.
- What did the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) foretell that came true?Many things he foretold came true. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) spoke them in Medina, when many Muslims were poor and the roads of Arabia were unsafe.
The Bible
- Do the New Testament Gospels agree on the day of the crucifixion they describe?No. The New Testament Gospels disagree about the day of the crucifixion they describe.
- Has the Old Testament been changed?Yes. Some copies found by the Dead Sea, from around the time of Jesus, show forms of the text that differ by whole passages.
Comparative Religion
- What are the main differences between Islam and Christianity?Islam and Christianity differ most on who Jesus was, whether he died on the cross for sins, and whether God's (﷾) Law still stands.
- Were people forced to become Christians?Yes, many were. In the eighth century, Charlemagne's law for the conquered Saxons ordered death for any Saxon who hid to avoid baptism.
- Is the Muslim declaration of faith (the Shahada) in the Bible?In substance, yes. The Shahadah is the Islamic creed. It says there is no god but Allah (﷾) and that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is His Messenger.
Questions & Criticisms
- Is Islam intolerant of other religions?No. Islam teaches that it is the only religion God (﷾) accepts, but it commands Muslims to tolerate the people who hold other beliefs.
- Aren't all religions paths to the same God?No. Religions give opposite answers to the biggest questions, so they cannot all be right.
Where next
Whatever came before is forgiven
If you become Muslim, your past sins are wiped away. When Amr ibn al-As came to accept Islam, he held back his hand until he knew he would be forgiven, and the Prophet (ﷺ) asked him whether he did not know that Islam wipes out everything that came before it. The Qur'an promises more: for the one who repents, believes and does good, God changes his bad deeds into good ones.