Muhammad as the Mediator of Redemption and Forgiveness

How Islamic Religion Turned Muslims into Idolaters and Necromancers

Sam Shamoun

According to the Quran forgiveness of sins is based on Muhammad’s mediation:

We sent no messenger save that he should be obeyed by Allah's leave. And if, when they had wronged themselves, THEY HAD BUT COME UNTO THEE and asked forgiveness of Allah, AND ASKED FORGIVENESS OF THE MESSENGER, they would have found Allah Forgiving, Merciful. S. 4:64 Pickthall

Another version reads:

We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allah's Leave. If they (hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves, HAD COME TO YOU (Muhammad SAW) and begged Allah's Forgiveness, and the Messenger had begged forgiveness for them: indeed, they would have found Allah All-Forgiving (One Who accepts repentance), Most Merciful. Hilali-Khan

This makes approaching Muhammad synonymous with invoking Allah. As renowned Sunni exegete Ibn Kathir put it:

<If they (hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves,> directs the sinners and evildoers, when they commit errors and mistakes, to come to the Messenger, so that they ask Allah for forgiveness IN HIS PRESENCE and ask him to supplicate to Allah to forgive them. If they do this, Allah will forgive them and award them His mercy and pardon. This is why Allah said…

<they would have found Allah All-Forgiving (One Who forgives and accepts repentance), Most Merciful>. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir; source; capital and underline emphasis ours)

According to Ibn Kathir, Q. 4:64 is clearly making it incumbent on the Muslims to come to Muhammad in order to obtain forgiveness, with the implication being that if they did not come to him they would not be forgiven. With this in mind is it any wonder that Pickthall rendered the Arabic to mean that the people had to come and ask Muhammad to forgive their sins since this is basically what they had to do? To put it another way, why didn’t these Muslims simply confess their sins to Allah without having to go to Muhammad if he wasn’t somehow involved in assuring that their sins would be forgiven?

The answer? Because coming before Muhammad is going to or standing before Allah since Allah decided to make his forgiveness dependent on Islam’s prophet.

What this basically means is that Muhammad is Allah’s partner since he shares in his deity’s prerogatives such as to forgive sins, which is explicitly and clearly a divine function:

And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring God to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins, - and who can forgive sins except God? - and are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done. S. 3:135

The inspired Word of God, the Holy Bible, concurs with the Quran that forgiveness of sins is an exclusively divine function:

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." Isaiah 43:25

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:18-19

It is rather interesting that this same Sura later says that Muhammad also had the ability to purify people:

Truly God was gracious to the believers when He raised up among them a Messenger from themselves, to recite to them His signs and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before they were in manifest error. S. 3:164

A point repeated elsewhere:

It is He who has raised up from among the common people a Messenger from among them, to recite His signs to them and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before that they were in manifest error, S. 62:2

Which is another divine function!

O believers, follow not the steps of Satan; for whosoever follows the steps of Satan, assuredly he bids to indecency and dishonour. But for God's bounty to you and His mercy not one of you would have been pure ever; but God purifies whom He will; and God is All-hearing, All-knowing. S. 24:21

It is abundantly clear from all of this that forgiveness of sins is clearly dependent upon coming to Muhammad.

But this raises some questions. How does a Muslim obey this directive now that Muhammad is dead? Does this mean that Muslims have no hope for forgiveness since they cannot approach Muhammad seeing that he is no longer alive?

The following Muslim scholar has the answer:

Although, this verse (64) was revealed in the background of a particular incident relating to hypocrites, yet its words yield a general ruling which stipulates that anyone who presents himself before the Holy Prophet and he prays for his forgiveness, he will be definitely forgiven. And ‘the presence before the Prophet,’ as it would have been during his blessed life in this mortal world, HOLDS THE SAME EFFECT EVEN TODAY as the visit to the sacred precincts of the Mosque of the Prophet and the act of ‘presenting’ oneself BEFORE THE BLESSED RESIDENT OF THE SANCTIFIED MAUSOLEUM FALLS WITHIN THE JURISDICATION OF THIS RULE.

Sayyidna ‘Ali has said: "Three days after we all had finished with the burial of the Messenger of Allah a villager came and fell down close to the blessed grave. Weeping bitterly, he referred to this particular verse of the Qur’an AND ADDRESSING HIMSELF TO THE BLESSED GRAVE, he said: ‘Allah Almighty has promised in this verse that a sinner, if he presented himself before the Rasul of Allah, and the Rasul elects to pray for his forgiveness, then he will forgive him. Therefore, here I am, presenting myself BEFORE YOU so that I may be blessed with YOUR prayer for my forgiveness.’ People personally present there at that time say that, in response to the pleading of the villager, a voice coming out from the sanctified mausoleum rang around with the words… You have been forgiven." (al-Bahr al-Muhit) (Mufti Shafi Usmani, Maariful Quran, Volume 2, p. 486; source; capital emphasis ours)

There is more to the story. According to one specific Islamic narration a Muslim actually visited Muhammad’s grave and asked him to pray for his forgiveness:

"As I was sitting by the grave of the Prophet, a Bedouin Arab came and said: ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! I have heard Allah saying: "If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful" (4:64), so I HAVE COME TO YOU asking forgiveness for my sin, seeking your intercession with my Lord.’ Then he began to recite poetry:

O best of those whose bones are buried in the deep earth,
And from whose fragrance the depth
and the height have become sweet,
May I be the ransom for a grave which thou inhabit,
And in which are found purity, bounty and munificence!

Then he left, and I slept and saw the prophet in my sleep. He said to me: ‘O `Utbi, run after the Bedouin and give him glad tidings that Allah has forgiven him.’" (Imam an-Nawawi, Kitab al-Adhkar [al-Maktaba al-Tijariyya, Mecca, 1412/1992], Chapter: Regarding visiting the grave of the messenger of Allah and its remembrances, pp. 253-254; source; see also al-Idah fi manasik al-hajj (Dar ibn Khaldun, Damascus, n.d.) p. 144, and an-Nawawi's Majmu`, volume 8, pp. 212f.; bold, capital and italic emphasis ours)

And here is what Ibn Kathir stated concerning this narration, providing some additional information:

"Allah is instructing the sinners when they commit a sin to come to the messenger of Allah and ask forgiveness in his presence and then they ask him to request forgiveness. And certainly if they did that, Allah would relent towards them and have mercy on them, and for that reason He said "they would have found Allah Oft-Returning, Merciful."

And Shaykh Mansur as-Sabbagh recollected in his book "The Perfections" (ash-Shama’il) the well-known (famous) transmission from ‘Utbi:

"I was sitting by the grave of the Prophet and a Bedouin came and said: ‘Peace be upon you O Prophet of Allah. I heard Allah say: "And if they had come to thee when they had wronged their souls, and asked forgiveness of Allah, and if the Messenger had also asked forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah Oft-Returning with compassion and Merciful." And I came to you asking forgiveness for my sin, taking you as intercessor to my Lord.’

"Then he started reciting verses: ‘O You best of those whose bones are buried in al-Qa’a from the sweet scents of those bones the whole area of al-Qa’a and Akamu became perfumed. My self I sacrifice to the grave that you live in it is purity and in it is incredible generosity.’

"Then the Bedouin departed and sleep overcame me. And I saw the Prophet in my sleep and he said: ‘Ya ‘Utbi, follow the Bedouin and give him the glad tidings that Allah has forgiven him.’" (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir of Qur’an al-Adheem [Dar al-Fikr, Beirut, 1992/1412], volume I, p. 643; source)

A similar report is sourced through Shafi’i Shaykh Sufyan ibn `Uyayna and through Abu Sa`id al-Sam`ani on the authority of Ali. The above narrative is further referenced by Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi in his Al-Mughni, under the chapter, "Chapter on Visiting the Grave of the Prophet," volume 3, pp. 556-557 (source).

Here is a list of some of the Muslim scholars who narrated this hadith:

The above information was adapted from these pages: 1, 2, 3

It is obvious that Muslims are faced with some huge problems! In fact, the assertion that people can go to the grave of Muhammad and receive forgiveness of sins poses major difficulties when considered in light of God’s true Word, the Holy Bible.

For example, the Holy Scriptures emphatically censure the practice of contacting the dead:

"Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:31

"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so." Deuteronomy 18:9-14

"When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn." Isaiah 8:19-20

In fact, this was such a heinous sin that God in the Old Covenant prescribed the death penalty for anyone caught engaging in this practice:

"I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people… A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads." Leviticus 20:6, 27

A Muslim may retort that s/he doesn’t accept the Holy Bible as authoritative, and therefore rejects the validity of the above passages, a rather problematic position to take in light of the clear testimony of the Quran concerning the authenticity and authority of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures (*).

Be that as it may, the difficulty with taking this stance is that it isn’t simply the Holy Bible that condemns contacting the dead but the Muslim scripture does so as well and expressly says that they cannot hear those who call upon them:

Surely you do not make the dead to hear, and you do not make the deaf to hear the call when they go back retreating. S. 27:80 Shakir

For verily thou (Muhammad) canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call when they have turned to flee. S. 30:52 Pickthall

Neither are the living and the dead alike. Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear, and you cannot make those hear WHO ARE IN THE GRAVES. S. 35:22 Shakir

Certain Islamic narratives further confirm that the dead cannot hear the living:

Narrated 'Aisha:
The Prophet said, "They now realize that what I used to tell them was the truth." And Allah said, ‘Verily! You cannot make the dead to hear (i.e. benefit them, and similarly the disbelievers) nor can you make the deaf hear.’ (27.80). (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 453)

Narrated Hisham's father:
It was mentioned before 'Aisha that Ibn 'Umar attributed the following statement to the Prophet "The dead person is punished in the grave because of the crying and lamentation Of his family." On that, 'Aisha said, "But Allah's Apostle said, 'The dead person is punished for his crimes and sins while his family cry over him then." She added, "And this is similar to the statement of Allah's Apostle when he stood by the (edge of the) well which contained the corpses of the pagans killed at Badr, 'They hear what I say.' She added, "But he said now they know very well what I used to tell them was the truth." 'Aisha then recited: 'You cannot make the dead hear.' (30.52) and 'You cannot make those who are in their Graves, hear you.' (35.22) that is, when they had taken their places in the (Hell) Fire. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 316)

Hisham narrated on the authority of his father that it was mentioned to 'A'isha that Ibn 'Umar had narrated as marfu' hadith from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) that the dead would be punished in the grave because of the lamentation of his family for him. Upon this she said: He (Ibn 'Umar) missed (the point). The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had (in fact) said: He (the dead) is punished for his faults or for his sins, and the members of his family are wailing for him now. (This misunderstanding of Ibn 'Umar is similar to his saying:) The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) stood by the well in which were lying the dead bodies of those polytheists who had been killed on the Day of Badr, and he said to them what he had to say, i. e.: They hear what I say. But he (Ibn 'Umar) misunderstood. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) had only said: They (the dead) understand THAT WHAT I USED TO SAY TO THEM was truth. She then recited: "Certainly, thou canst not make the dead hear the call" (xxvii. 80), nor can you make those hear who are in the graves, nor can you inform them when they have taken their seats in Hell. (Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 2027)

The second difficulty with coming to Muhammad when he was alive and contacting him now that he is dead in order to receive forgiveness of sins is that this goes against the rather explicit teachings of the Quran that he was nothing but a mere, fallible human being:

Say: I am only a mortal like you. My Lord inspireth in me that your God is only One God. And whoever hopeth for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord. S. 18:110

Say (unto them O Muhammad): I am only a mortal like you. It is inspired in me that your God is One God, therefore take the straight path unto Him and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe unto the idolaters, S. 41:6

A mere imperfect human cannot perform functions that are exclusively divine.

Thus, not only are the Islamic sources encouraging Muslims to violate the teachings of both the Holy Bible and the Quran which expressly prohibit communicating with the dead they have also turned Muhammad into a demigod.

The final problem with this is that Muhammad himself was a sinner:

Then have patience (O Muhammad). Lo! the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness of thy sin, and hymn the praise of thy Lord at fall of night and in the early hours. S. 40:55

So know (O Muhammad) that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for thy sin and for believing men and believing women. Allah knoweth (both) your place of turmoil and your place of rest. S. 47:19

Lo! We have given thee (O Muhammad) a signal victory, That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect His favour unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path, S. 48:1-2

Who was uncertain about his own destiny and was filled of doubts:

And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. And be not thou of those who deny the revelations of Allah, for then wert thou of the losers. S. 10:94-95

Say: "I am no bringer of new-fangled doctrine among the messengers, NOR DO I KNOW WHAT WILL BE DONE WITH ME OR WITH YOU. I follow but that which is revealed to me by inspiration; I am but a Warner open and clear." S. 46:9

Who couldn’t guarantee the salvation of his followers:

Narrated 'Um al-'Ala:
An Ansari woman who gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet that the Ansar drew lots concerning the dwelling of the Emigrants. 'Uthman bin Maz'un was decided to dwell with them (i.e. Um al-'Ala's family), 'Uthman fell ill and I nursed him till he died, and we covered him with his clothes. Then the Prophet came to us and I (addressing the dead body) said, "O Abu As-Sa'ib, may Allah's Mercy be on you! I bear witness that Allah has honored you." On that the Prophet said, "How do you know that Allah has honored him?" I replied, "I do not know. May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Apostle! But who else is worthy of it (if not 'Uthman)?" He said, "As to him, by Allah, death has overtaken him, and I hope the best for him. By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me," By Allah, I will never assert the piety of anyone after him. That made me sad, and when I slept I saw in a dream a flowing stream for 'Uthman bin Maz'un. I went to Allah's Apostle and told him of it. He remarked, "That symbolizes his (good) deeds." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 266)

Narrated Abu Huraira:
When Allah revealed the Verse: "Warn your nearest kinsmen," Allah's Apostle got up and said, "O people of Quraish (or said similar words)! Buy (i.e. save) yourselves (from the Hellfire) as I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment; O Bani Abd Manaf! I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment, O Safiya, the Aunt of Allah's Apostle! I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment; O Fatima bint Muhammad! Ask me anything from my wealth, but I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 51, Number 16)

How ironic… even though the above narrative emphatically says that Muhammad couldn’t save anyone the text of Q. 4:64 asserts that he was/is capable of mediating the forgiveness of sins!

Even Muhammad’s companions realized that their prophet couldn’t assure them of eternal life as the following examples amply testify:

Muhammad b. Ja'far b. al-Zubayr from 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr said: The apostle sent his expedition to Mu'ta in Jumada'l-Ula in the year 8 and put Zayd b. Haritha in command; if Zayd were slain then Ja'far b. Abu 'Talib was to take command, and if he were killed then 'Abdullah b. Rawaha. The expedition got ready to the number of 3,000, and prepared to start. When they were about to set off they bade farewell to the apostle's chiefs and saluted them. When 'Abdullah b. Rawaha took his leave of the chiefs he wept and when they asked him the reason he said, 'By God, it is not that I love the world and am inordinately attached to you, but I heard the apostle read a verse from God's book in which he mentioned hell: "There is not one of you but shall come to it; that is a determined decree of your Lord," and I do not know how I can return after I have been to it.' The Muslims said, 'God be with you and protect you and bring you back to us safe and sound.' ... (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasulullah (The Life of Muhammad), translated by Alfred Guillaume [Oxford University Press, Karachi, tenth impression 1995], p. 532; bold and italic emphasis ours)

And:

455w. Abu Nazrah reported about a man called Abu Abdullah from the companions of the Holy Prophet. His companions went to him to visit him in illness and he was weeping. They asked him: What makes you weep? Has not the Apostle of Allah said to you: Clip your moustache and stay firm on it till you meet me? He said: Yes, but I heard the Messenger of Allah say: The Almighty and Glorious Allah caught one handful with His right hand and another with another hand and said: This is for this, and this is for this, and I don’t care. I don’t know in which of the two handfuls I am. - Ahmad

1563. Here hold means party. Allah took one party of men in His right hand and another in His left and said that those who were in His right hand would go to Paradise and those in His left hand would go to Hell. The narrator feared in which of the hands of Allah he fell as that would decide his fate. (Maulana Fazlul Karim, Al-Hadis – An English Translation & Commentary With Arabic Text of Mishkat-Ul-Masabih [Islamic Education Center, Publishers and Booksellers, Improved Edition 1988], Book III, Chapter XXXII. Section 1. Pre-destination, p. 114; italic and underline emphasis ours)

This narrative can also be found in the translation of Mishkat Al Masabih by Dr. James Robson, Volume I, Book I. – Faith, Chapter IV. Belief in the Divine Decree, p. 32, published by Sh. Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Booksellers & Exporters, Lahore-Pakistan, reprinted 1990.

And who was often rebuked and threatened by his deity:

Allah forgive thee (O Muhammad)! Wherefore didst thou grant them leave ere those who told the truth were manifest to thee and thou didst know the liars? S. 9:43

And when Our clear revelations are recited unto them, they who look not for the meeting with Us say: Bring a Lecture other than this, or change it. Say (O Muhammad): It is not for me to change it of my accord. I only follow that which is inspired in me. Lo! if I disobey my Lord I fear the retribution of an awful Day. S. 10:15

Indeed they were near to seducing thee from that We revealed to thee, that thou mightest forge against Us another, and then they would surely have taken thee as a friend; and had We not confirmed thee, surely thou wert near to inclining unto them a very little; then would We have let thee taste the double of life and the double of death; and then thou wouldst have found none to help thee against Us. S. 17:73-75

And if he had invented false sayings concerning Us, We assuredly had taken him by the right hand And then severed his life-artery, And not one of you could have held Us off from him. S. 69:44-47 Pickthall

How, then, could he purify anyone? How can he be a means of forgiveness when he himself was less than certain concerning his own personal destiny?

Fortunately, there is One who can guarantee the forgiveness of sins:

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, ‘Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up, take your mat and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .’ He said to the paralytic, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’" Mark 2:5-12

"Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?’ Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’" Luke 7:48-50

"He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’" Luke 24:44-47

"to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Ephesians 1:6-7

One who completely purifies those who follow him:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

One who himself was absolutely pure and sinless:

"Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!’" Mark 1:23-24

"Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’" John 6:68-69

"He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him." John 7:18

"The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases himCan any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?" John 8:29, 46

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin." Hebrews 4:15

"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need - one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. Hebrews 7:25-27

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:22-24

"Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure… But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin… Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous." 1 John 3:3, 5, 7

One who could give his followers the assurance of salvation and eternal life:

"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:39-40

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." John 10:27-30

"Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’" John 11:25-27

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’" John 14:1-6

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him… While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled… 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." John 17:1-2, 12, 24

That one is the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s blessed and beloved Son:

"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’" Mark 1:9-11

"After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’" Mark 9:2-7

"for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! Amen.


Further Reading

http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/only_judge.html
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/serve_besides_allah1.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/serve_besides_allah2.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/islam_paganism.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_allah_judge.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_mhd_superior.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_tawhid.htm
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/partnership.html
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/deification1.html
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/deification2.html
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/deification3.html
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/deification4.html
http://www.sunnah.org/msaec/articles/arnaut.htm
http://www.sunnah.org/ibadaat/ziyara.htm
http://writers.oneummah.net/content/view/144/2/
http://www.rifaieonline.com/advice.htm
http://www.ummah.net/Al_adaab/fajr.html
http://hadithproofsfortawassul.blogspot.com/2005/11/hadith-2-more-replies-to-al-albanis.html
http://www.amislam.com/fajr.htm
http://seekingilm.com/archives/189
http://www.al-islam.org/mot/tawassul.htm
http://www.amislam.com/tawassul.htm


The Deification of Muhammad
Articles by Sam Shamoun
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