Mr. Meherally's thesis in this section is that the message of Jesus can, somehow, be contorted to fit the message of the Qur'an. Like most Muslims, Meherally begins with the premise that the Qur'an is true and that it can never be critically analyzed or studied. At one point in my life, I was lost and searching for the truth. I read the Bible, Vedas, Qur'an and many other religious texts with an open, but highly critical, mind presupposing nothing about the truth of any of the texts. I wanted each of sacred books to stand on their own merits and demonstrate their truth claims. Questioning the Bible, and trying to disprove its claims, actually brought me to Jesus Christ - the opposite of what I expected to happen! I do not judge the Bible by the words of the Qur'an - I have studied both and, like most Christians, conclude (based on the evidence) that the Bible is the Word of God and the Qur'an is not.
Why do I believe that the Qur'an is not from God? The message of the Qur'an contradicts many of the core beliefs of the Bible and the Qur'an does not provide any historical evidence, or a decent philosophical argument, to disprove the Bible. Why do I reject Muhammad? When I look at Muhammad, I see a man who claimed to be a Prophet. However, Muhammad (unlike Jesus) was not prophesied in the earlier scriptures, he performed no miracles, he gave no prophecies (at least none that came true), and contradicted the teachings of most of the Prophets before him. I also see a man who often conveniently "received" revelations which allowed him to have his way with money (Sura 58:12), women (Sura 66:3-5), and power (Sura 5:33). He even needed a "revelation" from Almighty God to tell his neighbors to be quiet at night! (Sura 49:4-5)
Many Muslim apologists carefully select verses of the Bible, out of the context of the text in which they appear, in order to make it appear that the Bible confirms the teachings of Muhammad. Mr. Meherally is guilty of doing this but not nearly to the degree that Deedat and Al-Kadhi attempt to distort the meaning of the Bible.
Mr. Meherally raises several issues:
The Word of God declares that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. Jesus DID SAY that He was the Son of God. Here is a more detailed discussion of the divinity of Jesus.
Yes it does! Please read this (entry #4).
Wrong again! Please read the evidence if you are interested in finding the truth
Mr. Meherally continues:
"And this is the eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You had sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You had given me to do." John 17:3/4.
At this point, Jesus had been crucified and resurrected from the dead - two events that the Qur'an denies! Please read verse 24: "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." Does this verse confirm the teachings of the Qur'an?
"But I do not seek my glory; there is One who seeks and judges." John 8:50.
Please read verses 56-59 "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
By saying that He (Jesus) existed before Abraham and by using the name of God "I AM" (Jehovah), Jesus was claiming to be God. The Jewish crowd knew this and that is why the wanted to kill Jesus! Does this confirm the teachings of the Qur'an?
In verse 45, Jesus said "When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me." Does this confirm the teachings of the Qur'an.
Amen!!
1 John 4:1: Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Acts 4:10-12: then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is "the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Responses to Akbarally Meherally
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