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Invitation to the Reader

Aug 24th, 2021 (edited)
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  1. In the Name of God,
  2. the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
  3.  
  4.  
  5. Peace be upon those who follow righteous guidance.
  6. I thank God for you.
  7.  
  8. I bear witness to God, who there is no God but He, the Eternal,
  9. the Holy Peace ensured Dominant,
  10. and I bear witness that Jesus is His Prophet
  11. —a Word sent of His Speech, a Spirit from God;
  12. created by Him in similar likeness to that of Adam—
  13. delivered to the Virgin Mary, the pure refuge and maidservant,
  14. whom came to bear the Messiah Jesus.
  15.  
  16. Next, I summon you with the appeal of establishing peace through submission
  17. to the One God in Islam;
  18. do this and you shall have peace.
  19.  
  20. God Almighty wrote:
  21. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 3 verse 64]
  22. “Come unto an equal arrangement between us and you,
  23. that we should serve none save God,
  24. associating nothing with Him,
  25. and not taking one another for Lords besides God.
  26. And if ye decline,
  27. then bear witness that we have submitted our will to God.”
  28.  
  29.  
  30. All thanks and praise is due to God.
  31. We seek His help and forgiveness,
  32. and we seek refuge in God from the evil within ourselves
  33. and the consequences of our evil deeds.
  34. Whoever God guides will never be led astray,
  35. and whoever God leads astray will never find guidance.
  36. I bear witness there is no deity but God,
  37. who is One, alone without any partners,
  38. and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
  39. is His Servant and His Messenger.
  40.  
  41. God Almighty wrote:
  42. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 3 verse 102]
  43. “O you who have faith,
  44. fear God as it is His right to be feared
  45. and do not die except in ˹a state of full˺ submission ˹to Him˺.”
  46.  
  47. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 4 verse 1]
  48. “O humanity, fear your Lord,
  49. who created you from one soul
  50. and created from it its mate
  51. and dispersed from both of them many men and women.
  52. Fear God, through whom you ask one another
  53. and maintain family ties.
  54. Verily, God is ever watching over you.”
  55.  
  56. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 33 verse 70-71]
  57. “O you who have faith,
  58. fear God and speak upright words.
  59. He will correct your deeds and forgive your sins.
  60. Whoever obeys God and His Messenger has won
  61. a tremendous victory.”
  62.  
  63.  
  64. Verily, the most truthful speech is the Book of God,
  65. the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ ,
  66. and the worst of affairs are newly invented matters.
  67. I remind you of God, and to be mindful of Him.
  68. I invite you with the invitation of truth and peace,
  69. the appeal of Islam;
  70. submit to God alone as a Muslim.
  71. Indeed, to God we belong and to Him is our return.
  72.  
  73. To proceed, the major reason I'm Muslim
  74. is because I don't accept atheism anymore, and of all theistic philosophies,
  75. Islam has the most rigorous and reliable historical sources
  76. that prove its claims out of all the other religions.
  77. Islam does not fall prey to philosophical contradictions
  78. like how polytheism or Triune monotheism (the Trinity) do,
  79. and it is universal unlike Judaism, which is ethno-nationalistic.
  80. Christianity turned me into an atheist, like many others I knew growing up.
  81.  
  82. Islam made the most sense out of the religions I studied.
  83. I studied and contemplated on Salvation, Trinity, Qur'an,
  84. and came to the conclusion that Islam is the truth.
  85.  
  86. Islam appealed to my natural instincts and rational mind.
  87. The Qur'an and its truth were too heavy to deny,
  88. and ultimately Islam compelled me to the choice
  89. of either denying what I knew was the truth,
  90. or submitting to and living upon the truth.
  91.  
  92. Accepting Islam been the best decision I've made,
  93. giving me clarity I've longed for and suffered without
  94. in my prior life of ignorance,
  95. and so I eventually realised I was always a Muslim and testified to Islam.
  96.  
  97. No other religion really provided what Islam does,
  98. or was sufficient in addressing the contentions
  99. other religions would present for me.
  100. When I read the Qur'an, I found it reading me, and found a familiar Author.
  101.  
  102. Christianity offered me blood sacrifices,
  103. confusion, uncertainty, idolatry and humiliation.
  104.  
  105. Islam offered me peace, truth,
  106. security, certainty, proof & evidences,
  107. and invited me to the religion of the Mighty Forgiver
  108. that I knew & knew me, before I ever was.
  109.  
  110. Inevitably, the more I learned of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ,
  111. the more I grew enamored with the undeniable.
  112.  
  113. Even in Islam, I found the highest justification for belief in Jesus
  114. and purest clarity of his preaching.
  115. Indeed, even to honor my parents and the values
  116. they raised me on as a Christian— to be honest to that,
  117. I could only submit to Islam and be a Muslim.
  118.  
  119. Islam is the religion of Abraham, who was not a polytheist,
  120. was not a Christian, and was not a Jew.
  121. Abraham, like Noah, Moses, & Jesus, shunned idolatry;
  122. the Prophets of God worship God alone and submit voluntarily to Him.
  123. I can not deny my Lord, our God, and the truth of Islam.
  124. I love Him, and I love His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and all of the Prophets,
  125. and I love His religion.
  126.  
  127. I say this saying of mine,
  128. and I seek forgiveness from God for me and for you,
  129. and for the rest of the Muslims.
  130. So ask Him for forgiveness,
  131. He is the the Mighty Forgiver, the Most Merciful.
  132.  
  133. To proceed, if the question is asked:
  134. "why do you reject the statement 'God becomes man'?"
  135.  
  136. The mind has room for believing it has conceived an idea
  137. which is and can be real, when that idea can not ever be real.
  138. Semantic consequences and implications
  139. do not conclude something's existence.
  140.  
  141. Logic predicates for rational impossibilities
  142. (that which the mind has room for,
  143. but has no room for existing as real;
  144. something that exists without a coherent essence or identity);
  145.  
  146. one such predication would be the law of noncontradiction
  147. (ex. a given proposition can not be both "false" and "not false";
  148. there is no coherent identity to such propositions)
  149.  
  150. Thus, such a 'difficult to grasp', 'complex' concept
  151. like a 'many-vertices-circle' is not something that can be
  152. actualised into existence, as, while having semantic implications,
  153. still lacks coherent essence or identity.
  154. Certainly, there can be no mechanism for accepting this concept
  155. over the validity of a basic, euclidean circle (which is without vertices).
  156.  
  157. Like there are no grounds for rejecting a rationally coherent description
  158. of a circle, there also stands no grounds
  159. for rejecting the credibility of a coherent and rational
  160. description of God's attributes that He reveals from Himself.
  161. These attributes are prevalent in the Qur'an, but also in the Tanakh,
  162. in unequivocal statements that have a long tradition of
  163. being comprehended by the Prophets and
  164. those people that they introduced these teachings & prophetic traditions to.
  165.  
  166. These statements can not be rejected for
  167. statements that are contrary to what is established
  168. (otherwise they are contradictory and logically inconsistent & incoherent,
  169. and lose their form of identity)
  170. or rejected for statements that are not given authority from God,
  171. or rejected for equivocal and implicit statements
  172. with interpretation of the vague
  173. (that can easily be interpreted consistent with prior
  174. unequivocal statements—and indeed, have a long history of
  175. being interpreted in a unitarian sense).
  176.  
  177. That is, you should not be able to reject the clear
  178. and unequivocal statements such as those in the Tanakh, that are consistent
  179. and have a long tradition of rational mechanisms for their validation,
  180. for equivocal statements
  181. that contradict the established unequivocal statements
  182. & that can only arrive contrary to the unequivocal statements
  183. after centuries of men developing trinitarian traditions.
  184.  
  185. To proceed upon the subject and with this invitation;
  186. an immediate disqualifier for other religions like Judaism,
  187. is that they claim the answers and salvation, but don't invite others to it.
  188. That makes Christianity and Islam qualifiers;
  189. they not only claim to have the answers but also invite others to it.
  190.  
  191. The way of the Prophets has always been to give evidence, reasons, and signs
  192. for us to know God;
  193. they are faultless examples of the highest character,
  194. who make a perfect case for God's existence and
  195. His religion, justice, and mercy. They are meant to be imitated.
  196.  
  197. It is an integral part of our religion, Islam
  198. (which we Muslims know as the religion of the Prophets)
  199. to understand the arguments and evidences that God presents to the readers
  200. and audiences —a case for the believer—
  201. especially so that we may implement these lessons in our lives,
  202. and call others to the truth from Him.
  203. Blind belief simply is not rationally or spiritually agreeable,
  204. and we are not allowed any part of it.
  205.  
  206. That is why, for example, God directly instructs the Believers
  207. on what to say to certain people,
  208. to have their hearts reflect upon the truth.
  209. God presents to us many arguments, examples, and parallels;
  210. a clear instruction.
  211.  
  212. God Almighty wrote:
  213. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 10 verse 37]
  214. “And this Qur'an is such that
  215. it could not be composed by any
  216. unless it be revealed from Allah.
  217. It is a confirmation of the revelation made before it
  218. and a detailed exposition of the Book.
  219. Beyond doubt it is from the Lord of the universe.”
  220.  
  221.  
  222. Continually we are called to reflect on
  223. God's signs, God's mercy, God's love, and God's examples.
  224. "The Perfection and Giver of Peace"
  225. "The Most Loving"
  226. "The Most Kind"
  227. "The All-Forgiving"
  228. "The Patient"
  229. "The Ever-Pardoning"
  230. "The Most Appreciative"
  231. "The Most Generous"
  232. "The Entirely Merciful"
  233.  
  234.  
  235. God Almighty wrote:
  236. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 32 verse 4]
  237. “It is God who created the heavens and the earth
  238. and everything between them in six Days.
  239. Then He established Himself on the Throne.
  240. You [people] have no one but Him to protect you
  241. and no one to intercede for you,
  242. so why do you not take heed?”
  243.  
  244.  
  245. Indeed, we Muslims would agree that the purpose for every Prophet
  246. is to be sent to their peoples to guide them in their need for salvation;
  247. that God sends Prophets to peoples to warn them of their evil tendencies,
  248. to convey to them the criterion from God with which to discern
  249. between good and evil, and to remind of the guaranteed Day of Recompense
  250. where we will each be held accountable for our good and evil deeds.
  251. God's commandments are to the good, permissible, righteous—
  252. and evil is that which transgresses against those limits He set.
  253.  
  254. In loving God, we obey Him and keep His commandments.
  255.  
  256. God Almighty wrote:
  257. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 13 verse 7c]
  258. “Every people has its guide.”
  259.  
  260.  
  261. This Prophetic guidance and Revelation is God's grace,
  262. and His merciful means of leading us to Him & to His salvation,
  263. and to attain the most upright stature of our natural state
  264. which we were created upon:
  265. submission to Him and His guidance.
  266.  
  267. The highest form of good conduct, then,
  268. would be to worship Him in full sincerity,
  269. and live & die in submission to God.
  270. He alone is sufficient for us & our salvation,
  271. He is our Lord and to Him is our final return.
  272.  
  273. This is the purpose which I know God to have intended us in our creation,
  274. and which He has called to all peoples—to each having sent guides;
  275. the way, the truth, the life through which to come to Him,
  276. which He ordained and sustains.
  277.  
  278. Muhammad ﷺ came with these evidences and rational proofs and arguments
  279. to people that didn't know about Abraham or Moses or Jesus
  280. in much detail at all—
  281. only having passing relations with Jews and Christians.
  282.  
  283. Muhammad ﷺ was not educated, he could not read, or write.
  284. Before the first revelation of the Qur'an was given to him,
  285. he was known for his sincerity, honesty, and his character.
  286. Well known, in high esteem, and regarded in his hometown
  287. by his neighbors and relatives, for his entire life, in such a way.
  288.  
  289. This character and truthfulness alone
  290. lead many to accept the claims Muhammad ﷺ made.
  291.  
  292. The Arabs could not produce any explanation as for how
  293. Muhammad ﷺ ,far surpassing them in virtue and nobleness,
  294. was obtaining such truths and reasoning which he would convey
  295. in the mind-shattering, heart-piercing eloquence of Qur'an—
  296. teachings which were to the contrary to their pagan traditions
  297. they had firmly established in their economy and society.
  298.  
  299. The Arabs were, however, familiar with some of these ideas of monotheism,
  300. and some of the names in Qur'an, due to their interactions with the Jews.
  301. Ultimately they could not argue against the Qur'an,
  302. and sought help to disprove him (and when they could not,
  303. deemed Qur'an as magic and sorcery,
  304. words which bewitched whomever listened).
  305.  
  306. Those Jews, like the Arabs, could not explain how
  307. Muhammad ﷺ was obtaining such highly accurate information
  308. on their Prophets, when they had not relayed it to Muhammad ﷺ .
  309.  
  310. The Arabs were, prior to this, convinced that some Jew must be
  311. secretly conspiring — but there was no such case to be found;
  312. Muhammad ﷺ would respond to the questioning of Jews, Christians, and Arabs
  313. with spontaneous revelation directly from God,
  314. never being caught 'consulting' anyone.
  315. These recitations would be memorised by him and recited by him,
  316. with no editorial process.
  317.  
  318. Beyond the simple truths they could not deny,
  319. and which the Jews could only confirm but not explain
  320. (that is, except for those Jews that became Muslim),
  321. Muhammad ﷺ claimed another miracle to the Arabs
  322. (which they historically admitted to failing to meet):
  323.  
  324. The Arabs were eloquent,
  325. and had a high esteem for eloquence and poetry.
  326. To be a poet was one of the biggest and celebrated professions.
  327.  
  328. The miracle Muhammad ﷺ claimed for these Arabs,
  329. who were proud of their traditions and eloquence,
  330. and certain in their denial of the Qur'an—
  331. was the challenge of the inimitability of the Qur'an;
  332. that, even the smallest chapters of the Qur'an
  333. were groundbreaking to the Arab linguists,
  334. and to this day,
  335. the Qur'an is still the highest standard of grammar,
  336. being devoid of any syntactical or grammatical errors.
  337.  
  338. Even the greatest and proudest of poets could only admit
  339. to being incapable of matching even one chapter of the Qur'an,
  340. as much as 3 verses, and most of these poets submitted to Islam.
  341. Thus, the pagan Arabs were unable to address the Qur'anic challenge,
  342. when it was nomically necessary for them to have been able to do so.
  343. Since Muhammad ﷺ was a claimant to prophethood
  344. who was aided with this negation of normalcy,
  345. then Muhammad ﷺ is a true prophet of God.
  346.  
  347. To make the above clearer, a comparison:
  348. A prophet who challenges his opponents to move their hands,
  349. when God prevents them from this act
  350. for the timeframe of the prophet’s challenge.
  351. This is a negation of nomic necessity for those people,
  352. and proof for this prophet’s prophethood.
  353. Likewise, God preventing the pagans from being able to address
  354. the Qur'anic challenge, is a negation of nomic necessity for them,
  355. and proof for Muhammad’s ﷺ prophethood.
  356.  
  357. There are many more examples of prophecies/predictions.
  358. To proceed and add to this, Muhammad ﷺ demonstrated
  359. several physical miracles which are extensively recorded
  360. in authentic narrations by several witnesses,
  361. and highly precise and fulfilled prophecies/predictions.
  362. His ﷺ life was the embodiment of grace
  363. and the pre-eminence of his virtues
  364. the supreme expression to which we aspire.
  365. These are the attributes that define prophethood.
  366. As the famous saying goes,
  367. “Sure, you can deny God / But how do you deny Muhammad ﷺ“?
  368.  
  369. Again, I say this saying of mine,
  370. and I seek forgiveness from God for me and for you,
  371. and for the rest of the Muslims.
  372. So ask Him for forgiveness,
  373. He is the the Mighty Forgiver, the Most Merciful.
  374.  
  375. It's similar to stuff atheists ask, when you ask
  376. “What about God appearing in forms [of a man]?”
  377.  
  378. It isn't that God is not capable of something here, but a question of
  379. rational possibility, and a statement with coherent & consistent identity.
  380. Consider asking all of these bishops and theologians:
  381. “Can God create another god like Him?”
  382.  
  383. If they say yes, we say to them—
  384. how can this created being be a god, if he is created?
  385. How can he be like God when he has a beginning,
  386. whereas God exists from eternity?
  387.  
  388. The phrase "creating a god" is a sophism, or false argument,
  389. and is a contradiction in terms.
  390. The mere fact that something is created means that it cannot be a god.
  391. This question is like asking could God create "a god who is not a god"?
  392. The power of God has nothing to do with that,
  393. because the idea that something can be a god
  394. and not a god is illogical and is irrational,
  395. and the power of God has nothing to do with irrationalities.
  396. So for Him to become man,
  397. this is not a sentence that makes sense—
  398. it is a rational impossibility.
  399. To proceed, another example:
  400. "Can God really expel anyone from under His control?”
  401.  
  402. If yes, this is imposed a limit on the control of God,
  403. and if no (which is correct)—
  404. they have agreed with us that the power of God is absolute
  405. and has nothing to do with irrationalities,
  406. because it is rationally impossible for any created being
  407. to be expelled from the control of its Creator.
  408.  
  409. So for us, all men, all creation, is under God's control.
  410. What/Who, then could prevent God from destroying Jesus and his mother, Mary?
  411. His Majesty and Glory is far beyond all of creation,
  412. there is not anything like it or which could contain it.
  413.  
  414. God Almighty wrote:
  415. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 59 verse 21]
  416. “Had We sent down this Qur’ān to a mountain,
  417. you would have seen it humbled,
  418. burst apart out of awe for God.
  419. We cite such examples for people,
  420. so that they may ponder.”
  421.  
  422.  
  423. How then could flesh or a house contain Him?
  424. This is the same, clear teaching of the Prophets of the Old Testament,
  425. a radical monotheism kept in the traditions
  426. inherited by the Children of Israel;
  427. the Jews themselves have confirmed this,
  428. and it is a historical fact that this One, Eternal God
  429. was the theology of the first century Christians.
  430. on such a foundation, then, there is no basis for contradicting
  431. these teachings coming with authority from God within the Tanakh
  432. that define God's eternal, transcendent, pure glory
  433. beyond that of ever being a man or a likeness among creation,
  434. by saying He became such a thing.
  435.  
  436. There are far greater creations which He could create than man,
  437. and none would be befitting of His Transcendent Majesty
  438. of being taken as His son, or being a form He takes.
  439. We are commanded to know, worship, love, and submit to God—
  440. regardless of if we see Him.
  441.  
  442. For Him to show Himself as a man would have no point.
  443. We believe such submission is the natural state of man,
  444. instilled in us by God.
  445. Children innately believe in a creator,
  446. and we all live and die in submission
  447. to His ordainment, predestination, and will.
  448. Islam is His call to submit voluntarily to Him for the good of ourselves,
  449. and we believe it has always been established as a means of salvation
  450. and a direct relationship with God, since the creation of Adam.
  451.  
  452. God has always loved us,
  453. always offered this relationship and salvation and submission,
  454. always taught it, and we are born knowing it.
  455. There's no sense or need for Him to become man
  456. (and as discussed above, it is an irrationality).
  457.  
  458. You can presuppose (and I think some Islamic scholars have written on this)
  459. that God possesses the capability of
  460. exceeding the limits of rationality/irrationality,
  461. and doing whatever He pleases anyways— there's not much issue with that.
  462. i.e., if it is so irrational of a question
  463. "can God create a boulder so heavy He can not lift it?",
  464. then the explanation above for such irrationalities is sufficient.
  465. however with such a presupposition that God is even beyond this,
  466. then one could say:
  467. "Yes, He could, and then He could lift it."
  468.  
  469. As we have clear teachings against God being like His creation,
  470. in both the Tanakh and Qur'an, then there is no need for us
  471. to affirm any consequences of a presupposition
  472. like with the boulder above— what we affirm is from Him such as:
  473.  
  474. God's Almightiness,
  475. God's Transcendence,
  476. God's Eternity,
  477. God's Omnipotence,
  478. God's Revelations.
  479.  
  480.  
  481. God will make clear to us these matters
  482. [the capability of exceeding the limits of rationality/irrationality],
  483. and reveal to us Himself in the Hereafter.
  484.  
  485. For now, our purpose is to follow His guidance,
  486. worship and submit to Him alone — to establish and propagate His religion.
  487. We can't derive sense from irrationalities and apply them to God.
  488. Religion isn't about Jesus or golden calves.
  489. Religion is about GOD.
  490.  
  491. The entire Christian faith relies on Jesus being virgin born,
  492. ministering to the Jews, being betrayed, crucified, and conquering death.
  493. Jesus is not required for Islam to exist.
  494.  
  495. He is a great prophet and brought a beautiful message of
  496. love and hope and brotherhood,
  497. but Islam would still exist without Jesus.
  498.  
  499. Islam requires no man to exist, but is GOD's perfect faith.
  500. Islam requires only GOD.
  501.  
  502. The Prophets (upon all of them be peace) came
  503. to deliver messages to the people,
  504. but even the prophets mean nothing when compared to GOD.
  505.  
  506. God guides whom He wills and leads astray whom He wills.
  507. We have the choice whether or not to listen to the prophets—
  508. and Jesus, upon him be peace, was no more than a prophet and,
  509. like all prophets, unworthy of worship.
  510.  
  511. God does not need to display His power to us in order for us to believe;
  512. for God to display Himself as a man is pointless.
  513. We are commanded to believe and submit, whether or not He is in our sight.
  514.  
  515. To proceed, I have inquiries for you.
  516. Let me ask— did you come up with the word idolatry? or were you taught it?
  517.  
  518. Idolatry is a concept God teaches against.
  519. The terms are set by Him, not by you.
  520.  
  521. Worshiping outside of what He teaches,
  522. and associating with Him, other than Him,
  523. is foreign to the religion of God.
  524. Jews know it as shituf and avoda zarah;
  525. i.e., association and foreign worship.
  526.  
  527. The Jews, which Jesus was sent to, were taught monotheism,
  528. and had that established through a series of prophets.
  529.  
  530. When they strayed from those teachings,
  531. and engaged in shituf and avoda zarah,
  532. God punished them severely until they returned to His teachings.
  533.  
  534. When you own something, you have the authority to name it;
  535. this is how religious thought works for Jews—
  536. God created everything, and God taught the Jews what they know.
  537. If they don't have a word for it, they don't consider it correct or reality.
  538.  
  539. Review:
  540. Isaiah 40:18, Isaiah 43:10-11, Isaiah 44:6-8, Isaiah 46:9
  541. Nehemiah 9:6
  542. 1 Chronicles 17:20
  543. Deuteronomy 6:4, Numbers 23:19
  544. 1 Samuel 2:2, 1 Samuel 15:29
  545. 1 Kings 8:27
  546. Job 25:2-6, Job 26:6-14
  547.  
  548.  
  549. Yet, contrary to these teachings found in the Tanakh,
  550. you think God is like you, and disagree that "God is One.";
  551. you say God is a trinity, something God never taught—
  552. something irreconcilable with the teachings of God—
  553. especially according to the people that received those teachings
  554. and understood them by the confirmation of successive prophets.
  555.  
  556. There were other ""Muslim"" prophets besides Abraham —
  557. that is, Adam, Noah, Lut, etc — and, as it was in the Tanakh,
  558. it was the case for them:
  559.  
  560. that REPENTANCE ATONES FOR ALL SINS,
  561. and that there is NO TEACHING OF BLOOD SACRIFICE ALONE
  562. BEING NECESSARY FOR ATONEMENT.
  563.  
  564. That sacrifice is the ONLY ROUTE
  565. is a later innovation, NOT taught by Jesus.
  566.  
  567. YOU BELIEVE THINGS ABOUT ADAM AND ABRAHAM ...
  568.  
  569. I BELIEVE THINGS ABOUT ADAM AND ABRAHAM ...
  570.  
  571.  
  572. The basis of your belief is the Bible, from what I understand —
  573. and there are many truths from God within it.
  574.  
  575. DO NOT OPERATE UNDER THE MISUNDERSTANDING
  576. THAT OUR BELIEF IS CONTINGENT UPON THE BIBLE.
  577.  
  578. Your belief in Jesus (may peace be upon him) contains,
  579. at least, the Bible as a pillar.
  580.  
  581. The foundation for our belief in God Almighty
  582. and Jesus the Messiah son of the virgin Mary (peace be upon them both)
  583. and our religion is /NOT THE BIBLE/.
  584.  
  585. The foundation for our belief is that
  586. there is none worthy of worship except GOD,
  587. and that Muhammad ﷺ is God's servant and messenger.
  588.  
  589. From both of our foundations,
  590. we arrive to the belief that
  591. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc. existed,
  592. may God's peace and blessings be upon them and their families.
  593.  
  594.  
  595. When the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ,
  596.  
  597. it was revealed while the Arabs
  598. (as Ishmaelites, the brethren of the Israelites) DID NOT HAVE THE BIBLE,
  599. and DID NOT POSSESS THE CAPABILITY OF READING THE BIBLE,
  600. and DID NOT BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE.
  601. The Arabs were instead worshiping various idols
  602. and of various different beliefs, denying the Bible that could not reach them.
  603.  
  604. The pagan Arabs needed a Straight Way to God,
  605. and needed to know Jesus and all of the Prophets, peace be upon them.
  606.  
  607. I hope that helps clarify a bit for you.
  608.  
  609. Moving forward, you should further understand that a "Muslim"
  610. is one who submits to the will of God Almighty alone,
  611. and "Islam" is submission to the will of God Almighty alone.
  612. This is not any god/goddess/deity/idol (in Arabic, ilaha),
  613. but rather meant to GOD ALMIGHTY, the God of Abraham, the ONLY GOD,
  614. beside Him which there could be no other
  615. and He is the One and Alone (in Arabic, Allah).
  616.  
  617.  
  618. OUTSIDE OF THE PRESUPPOSITION that the Bible is the true word of God,
  619. then you understand that "Muslim", as a word,
  620. is capable of describing Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jesus, peace be upon them all.
  621.  
  622. and you then understand that "Islam", as a word,
  623. is capable of describing the upright way of life of the Prophets of God,
  624. who submitted to God's will and worshiped Him alone.
  625.  
  626. see:
  627. Mark 3:35, Matthew 7:21, John 6:38
  628.  
  629.  
  630. It is historical testimony and consensus
  631. that God revealed guidance to the nations through His Prophets,
  632. revealing the SAME ONE MESSAGE through those Prophets —
  633. that God alone is worthy of all worship,
  634. and not to ascribe partnership to God, or to worship idols.
  635.  
  636. It is historical testimony and consensus
  637. that the messages revealed to those prophets
  638. has been corrupted and/or lost,
  639. and this also applies to the message delivered in the Tanakh (Old Testament, Torah, Psalms, etc.)
  640. and the revealed Gospel to Jesus, peace be upon him.
  641.  
  642. This Guidance was given to the nations
  643. to lead them to the truth and to righteous conduct,
  644. and to test them, as God created life and death
  645. to test us as to which of us were the most virtuous
  646. — our purpose being to recognise Him and worship Him —
  647. and through time those messages faced distortion or vanished
  648. due to the evil actions of men,
  649. death/shortcomings of the righteous,
  650. invitations of Satan,
  651. and the decree of God.
  652.  
  653. God, however, did not allow His Guidance to vanish,
  654. and allowed the truth to remain in some portion, and firmly established in the hearts of men
  655. who inclined to their natural state of submission to the Creator,
  656. while rejecting unnatural falsehoods and fabrications from men.
  657.  
  658. God revealed Islam continually, through His Prophets,
  659. and revealed it, again, to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
  660.  
  661. In answer to the Israelites' prayer of Deuteronomy 18:16,
  662. now Revelation has finished,
  663. and we hear the Voice of the Lord no more.
  664.  
  665. In Islam we have 5 pillars:
  666. 1) Testimony/Shahadah
  667. 2) Prayer/Salah
  668. 3) Regular Charity / Zakat
  669. 4) Fasting/Sawm
  670. 5) Pilgrimage/Hajj
  671.  
  672.  
  673. and we have 6 pillars of faith:
  674. 1) Belief in the existence and unicity of God Almighty.
  675. 2) Belief in the existence of Angels.
  676. 3) Belief in all of the revealed books of God Almighty (ex. the Torah, Psalms, Gospel, Qur'an).
  677. 4) Belief in all of God Almighty's messengers.
  678. 5) Belief in the Day of Judgment.
  679. 6) Belief in the Qadha & Qadr (Divine Decree & Pre-Destination)
  680.  
  681.  
  682. The prior corruption stopped with the final revelation and testament of God, the Qur'an,
  683. which both confirms and guards the previous revelations,
  684. as the final testament necessarily remains uncorrupted and preserved
  685. to serve as a guide into all truth, to remain with us forever,
  686. and to give the test & relay the message to the nations.
  687.  
  688. The previous revelations and their preservation (or lack thereof)
  689. was a test from Allah upon the nations,
  690. while the preservation of the Qur'an
  691. was not a duty give to us the Muslims,
  692. but rather taken upon by God Almighty.
  693.  
  694. It is historical testimony and consensus that the Qur'an
  695. that we have today is the exact way that it was delivered by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
  696.  
  697. Due to this, the only way to truly follow Jesus,
  698. peace be upon him, is to follow the one that he promised would come after him,
  699. the Spirit of Truth, Muhammad ﷺ,
  700. who testified of Jesus and glorfied Jesus.
  701.  
  702. The best way of confirming the message and existence
  703. of Jesus, Moses, Abraham, peace be upon them all,
  704. is in the clear testimony from God in the Qur'an.
  705.  
  706. The Bible, however, is not necessary whatsoever for us,
  707. and it is not reliable,
  708. nor can we legitimately establish (except through the Qur'an)
  709. that it is transmitted from God or from His Prophets.
  710.  
  711. The case for the Qur'an, however, is much different —
  712. we can establish that it did come from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ,
  713. and that he ﷺ did indeed claim to be a prophet sent to you.
  714.  
  715. God Almighty wrote:
  716. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 57 verse 28]
  717. “O you who believe
  718. [in Moses (i.e. Jews) and Jesus (i.e. Christians)]!
  719. Fear God, and believe too in His Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ ,)
  720. He will give you a double portion of His Mercy,
  721. and He will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight),
  722. and He will forgive you.
  723. And God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
  724.  
  725.  
  726. Lastly, to proceed to my final inquiries to you.
  727.  
  728. Is there a Mighty Forgiver that you know?
  729. Is the grace of God not sufficient?
  730. Is God not ever-pardoning, the Mighty Forgiver?
  731.  
  732. It is He that Islam invites you to.
  733.  
  734. Was the knowledge of Him brought to you,
  735. or was it knowledge of Jesus which was brought to you?
  736.  
  737. Did you already know Jesus as you certainly knew God in your birth,
  738. or is Jesus brought before you and God as any other man and idol?
  739.  
  740. You can't claim you were born knowing about Jesus—
  741. but you certainly weren't born denying God.
  742.  
  743. You learned to do this— to say that "God is One." is not enough.
  744. "Trinity" is something you learned from men, driven by agendas;
  745. it was innovated by councils & their imperfect human reasoning.
  746.  
  747. Again, I ask you—
  748. Is there a Mighty Forgiver that you know?
  749. Is the grace of God not sufficient?
  750. Is God not ever-pardoning, the Mighty Forgiver?
  751.  
  752. It is He, the Mighty Forgiver, that Islam invites you to.
  753.  
  754. For God sent His Last Prophet as a Mercy for all worlds;
  755. that whosoever believe & follow him shall not perish, but have eternal life
  756.  
  757. Thank you for reading,
  758. and may God guide you.
  759.  
  760. O Servants of Allah!
  761.  
  762.  
  763. God Almighty wrote:
  764. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 22 verses 77]
  765. “O you who believe!
  766. Kneel, and prostrate, and worship your Lord,
  767. and do good deeds, so that you may succeed.”
  768.  
  769. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 24 verse 56]
  770. “Pray regularly, and give regular charity,
  771. and obey the Messenger, so that you may receive mercy.”
  772.  
  773. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 24 verse 52]
  774. “Whoever obeys God and His Messenger,
  775. and fears God, and is conscious of Him —
  776. such people are the victorious.”
  777.  
  778. [the Holy Qur'an chapter 16 verse 90]
  779. “Indeed, God commands (people) to maintain justice,
  780. kindness, and proper relations with their relatives.
  781. He forbids them to commit indecency, sin, and rebellion.
  782. God gives you advice so that perhaps you will take heed.”
  783.  
  784.  
  785. O God Almighty, the Most High,
  786. show us the truth as truth and guide us to follow it;
  787. show us the false as false and guide us to avoid it.
  788.  
  789. Our Lord, give us good in this world and in the Hereafter,
  790. and protect us from the torment of the Fire.
  791. Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes.
  792. Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us.
  793. Lord, do not burden us with more than we have strength to bear.
  794. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us.
  795. You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers.
  796.  
  797. Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us.
  798. Grant us Your Mercy; You are the Ever-Bestowing.
  799.  
  800. O Turner of the Hearts (Allah, the Most High),
  801. turn our hearts to your obedience,
  802. and keep our hearts firm upon your religion.
  803.  
  804. O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad ﷺ and upon the family of Muhammad ﷺ ,
  805. as You sent prayers upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim;
  806. You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.
  807.  
  808. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad ﷺ and upon the family of Muhammad ﷺ ,
  809. as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim;
  810. You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.
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