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Islam and Christianity:
Some Truths About Islam, Muhammad's Followers
Part Four
By Michael Caplow
Allah versus Jehovah - Are They the Same?
The last point will be: “Allah versus Jehovah” - are they the same? Until I began studying Islam several years ago, I was under the impression that Allah and Jehovah was the same God, just called by a different name. It seems that much of the world is under the same impression. Even the Roman Catholic Church says that Muslims worship the same God:
The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Moslems: these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day. {Austin Flannery, O.P., general editor, Vatican Council II, The Concillar and Post Concillar Documents (Costello
As Christians, we must consider what Allah says about Jesus in the Quran and compare that to what Yahweh/Jehovah says about Jesus in the Bible. The comparison is a simple one.
Allah says:
Proclaim: He is Allah, the Single; Allah, the Self-Existing and Besought of all. He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none equal toBut Jehovah says:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) (NAS)And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) (NAS)
See, Jehovah “begets,” but Allah “begets not!” In the previous Quran verse, Allah says that there is none equal to him in his attributes.
But Jehovah’s Word in the Bible says about Jesus:
But of the Son He (God) says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:8) (NAS)Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'? (John 14:9) (NAS)
And he who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me. (John 12:45) (NAS)
And He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17) (NAS)
I and my Father are one. (John 10:30) (KJV)
For in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;.. (Colossians 2:9-10) (NAS)
Jehovah says that all the fullness of Deity dwells in Jesus. But Allah says, “no!” Jehovah says that Jesus is the head over all rule and authority. But Allah and Islam say, “Muhammad is the last prophet and his words revealed by Allah are the final authority.”
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Moses was told by Jehovah, “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus also said… “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58) (NKJ)
For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. (John 5:22-23) (NAS)
Is it possible that Allah and Jehovah is the same God? From what we can plainly read in the Scriptures, clearly one writer wrote the Quran and another Writer wrote the Hebrew/Christian Scriptures, and the two authors are most certainly not the same and neither are their messengers!
Again, Allah says:
They (Christians) allege: The Gracious One has taken unto Himself a son. Assuredly, you have uttered a monstrous thing! The heavens might well burst thereat, and the earth cleave asunder, and the mountains fall down in pieces, because they ascribe a son to the Gracious One; whereas it becomes not the Gracious One to take unto Himself a son. There is no one in the heavens and the earth but he shall come to the Gracious One as a bondman…. … So We have made the Quran easy in thy tongue that thou mayest convey glad tidings to the righteous, and warn thereby a contentious people. How many a generation have We destroyed before them! Canst thou perceive a single one of them, or hear even a whisper of them? (Surah 19:88-99)
We already know what Jehovah says! (John 3:16 and a dozen other passages). But according to Allah, it is a monstrous thing to say that God has a son (some Quran translations say “blasphemous” instead of “monstrous”). According to Allah, who spoke to Muhammad, Christians are “a contentious people” and will be cast into the Fire for their evil of saying that God has a Son. One has to wonder why the Quran asserts so much doctrine that denies Jesus Christ!
Allah says heaven is “forbidden” to those (Christians) who associate partners with Allah:
Those certainly are disbelievers who say: Allah is none but the Messiah son of Mary: whereas he Messiah himself taught: Children of Israel, worship Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord. Surely, Allah has forbidden heaven to him who associates partners with Allah, and the Fire will be his resort. The wrongdoers shall have no helpers. Those certainly are disbelievers who say: Allah is the third of three. There is no one worthy of worship but the One God. If they desist not from that which they say, a grievous chastisement shall surely afflict those of them that disbelieve… …The Messiah son of Mary was only a Messenger; many Messengers have passed away before him… …People of the Book, exceed not the limits of your religion unjustly, nor follow the vain desires of a people who themselves went astray before and caused many others to go astray, and who strayed away from the right path. (Surah 5:73-78)But Jehovah says of Jesus:
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) (NIV)All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal {Him.} Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light. (Matthew 11:27-30) (NAS)
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) (KJV)
Allah says:
The case of Jesus in the sight of Allah is like unto the case of Adam. He created him out of dust. He said concerning him: Be; and he began to be. This is the truth from thy Lord, so be thou not of those who doubt. (Surah 3:60-62)But Jehovah’s Word through Apostle John says:
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,…” …and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man (Jesus), clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. … And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.” (Revelation 1:10-17) (NKJ)
The Bible refers to Jesus in the above as the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last; a title which clearly refers to God in the following verse:
And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son’” (Revelation 21:5-7) (NAS)
Allah says:
People of the Book, why do you dispute Abraham, whereas the Torah and Gospel were surely not sent down till after him? Will you not then understand? Hearken, you are those who have disputed about that whereof you had some knowledge; why do you now dispute about that whereof you have no knowledge at all? Allah knows and you know not. Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; he was ever inclined to Allah and obedient to Him, and he was not of those who associate partners with Allah. (Surah 3:66-69)
The Apostle Paul, who received his revelation directly from Jesus Christ, argues against Muhammad and any other person that would make claims against the Gospel. Allah, in his Quran, says that Abraham knew not of the Gospel.<.p>
But the Holy Spirit through Paul says:
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying “All the nations shall be blessed in you.” (Galatians. 3:8) (NAS)
One could literally go on for hours upon hours showing the Scriptures of Jehovah that contradict the sayings of Allah through Muhammad. Allah is not Jehovah, in any way, shape or form, and Muhammad is not a messenger for Jehovah, but Muhammad was a false prophet who taught millions of people to deny Jesus Christ. Allah is not the Creator, Yahweh/Jehovah/Jesus Christ is.
And He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Col. 1:15-17)
Christian pastors and ministers need to recognize this very clear fact of the Word of God. Allah is ‘another god’ who preaches another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel, and Muhammad is his messenger. Apostle Paul warned us about those who would preach another Jesus and another gospel. Allah and his messenger, Muhammad, and the Quran, unequivocally “deny” that Jesus is “The Christ” as “The Christ” is defined in the Bible.
The Quran talks a lot about Allah bringing “light” to people. The Apostle Paul says… “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) (KJV).
Jehovah says:
I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images” (Isaiah 42:8 - ASV) *NOTE: {some translations substitute “LORD” for Yahweh/Jehovah - the original has “YeHWeH” which was then translated as “Jehovah”}.
Allah and Yahweh/Jehovah cannot be the same God, and Allah’s messenger, Muhammad, through his teachings in the Quran, continues to lead people away from the God of the Bible.
Muhammad’s Revelations
George W. Braswell, Jr. says of the prophet Muhammad: “Muslims for some fourteen hundred years have looked to Prophet Muhammad for direction in the personal and community life.”
Ram Swarup writes of the importance of the Hadith (tradition) and the life of Muhammad to Muslims worldwide:
The Prophet is caught as it were (in the traditions of the Hadith) in the ordinary acts of his life-sleeping, eating, mating, praying, hating, dispensing justice, planning expeditions and revenge against his enemies. The picture that emerges is hardly flattering, and one is left wondering why in the first instance it was reported at all and whether it was done by his admirers or enemies. One is also left to wonder how the believers, generation after generation, could have found this story so inspiring.The answer is that the believers are conditioned to look at the whole thing through the eyes of faith. An infidel in his fundamental misguidance may find the Prophet rather sensual and cruel-and certainly many of the things he did do not conform to ordinary ideas of morality-but the believers look at the whole thing differently. To them, morality derives from the Prophet’s actions; the moral is whatever he did. Morality does not determine the Prophet’s actions, but his actions determine and define morality. Muhammad’s acts were not ordinary acts; they were Allah’s own acts.
It was in this way and by this logic that Muhammad’s opinions became the dogmas of Islam and his personal habits and idiosyncrasies became moral imperatives: Allah’s commands for all believers in all ages and climes to follow. {Ram Swarup, Understanding Islam Through Hadis (Delhi: Voice of India, 1983), xv-xvi, as quoted in Parshall, Inside the Community}.
The Hadith also gives the story of Muhammad’s alleged revelation from the angel Gabriel. Here again, when we compare the accounts in the Bible of how Gabriel came to men, such as Daniel, and how other angels appeared to men, one can easily see that the two accounts of Gabriel and how God sends angels to men with messages are contradictory.
Here is the Hadith account of Muhammad’s revelation:
Narrated Aisha: Truth descended upon him (Muhammad) in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him in it and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, “I do not know how to read.” (The Prophet added), “The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it anymore. He then released me and again asked me to read, and I replied, “I do not know how to read,” whereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it anymore. He then released me and asked me again to read, but again I replied, “I do not know how to read (or, what shall I read?).” Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me and then he released me and said, “Read: In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot. Read and Your Lord is most Generous that which he knew not” (Qur’an 96:1-5). Then Allah’s Apostle (Muhammad) returned with the Inspiration, his neck muscles twitching with terror till he entered upon Khadija (Muhammad’s first wife) and said, “Cover me!” They covered him until his fear was over and then he said, “Khadija, what is wrong with me?” Khadija said, “Never! But have glad tidings, for by Allah, Allah will never disgrace you.” (Khan, Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 9:91-92; 87.1.111.)
The Quran, through Muhammad, states that a Muslim man can marry four wives simultaneously if he can take care of them equally. But interestingly enough, Muhammad allegedly received a revelation from Allah entitling him to marry as many wives as he wanted!
O Prophet (Muhammad), We have made lawful for thee thy wives whose dower thou hast paid, and those under thy control from among prisoners of war, and daughters of thy paternal and maternal uncles and aunts who have emigrated with thee, and any other believing woman who dedicates herself to the Prophet provided the Prophet desires to marry her, so that there may be no hindrance for thee in the discharge of thy responsibilities. This ordinance is only for thee and not for the other believers…. …It is permitted to thee to put away any of thy wives that thou pleasest or to retain any of them thou pleasest; and if thou shouldst desire to take back any of those thou hast put away, it shall be no blame on thee. (Surah 33:51-53)
Muhammad was thought to have had up to twelve wives. Muhammad was betrothed to the daughter (Aisha) of his first caliph (Abu Bakr) when she was just six years old. Muhammad consummated the marriage with her when she was nine years old.
The Hadith states:
Narrated Aisha: That the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (until his death). (Hadith 7:50; 62.39.64.)
Muhammad’s revelations seem to have served his desires well. He also received one-fifth of all treasure/booty taken in war and all booty won in negotiations.
Arabia’s Pantheon at the Time of Muhammad
For Christians, one must consider the background of Muhammad and Arabia at the time of Muhammad. There were many gods and goddesses recognized by the Arabs.
George W. Braswell, Jr. writes in, ‘Islam’ Its Prophet, Peoples, Politics and Power - Broadman & Holman Publishers, ppg. 44-45:
There were astral deities. Arab Bedouins focused on the moon because it provided light during the night for their grazing flocks. Contemporary Islam also focuses on the moon, as indicated by a crescent moon atop the mosque, a lunar calendar, and with festivals like Ramadan regulated by the rising of the moon.Pre-Islamic Arabia also had its stone deities. They were stone statues of shapeless volcanic rock or meteoric stones found in the deserts and believed to have been sent by astral deities. The most prominent deities were Hubal, the male god of the Ka’ba, and the three sister goddesses al-Lat, al-Manat, and al-Uzza; Muhammad’s tribe, Quraysh, thought these three goddesses to be the daughters of Allah. Hubal was the chief god of the Ka’ba among 360 other deities. He was a man-like statue whose body was made of red precious stone and whose arms were of solid gold.
Allat (with the t added to Allah) is the feminine form of Allah. She was represented by a square stone, and her major sanctuary was in the city of Taif. Some thought of her as the female counterpart of Allah. al-Manat was the goddess of fate whose major sanctuary consisted of a black stone in the town of Qudayd between Mecca and Medina.
al-Uzza was the goddess of east Mecca and was the most venerated of the Quraysh tribe. It is said that human sacrifices were made to her. Islamic tradition reports that Muhammad’s grandfather almost sacrificed his son, the father of Muhammad, to al-Uzza in fulfillment of a vow. However, he was counseled by a fortune teller to ransom his son with one hundred camels. Muslims interpret this as the will of Allah to bring Muhammad into existence. *{see NOTE 1}
Other deities in the Arabian peninsula included al-Rahman and Hajar-al-Aswad. al-Rahman was the name of an ancient deity in southern Arabia. Muhammad used the name of this deity, which means “merciful,” 169 times in the Qur’an. With the exception of Allah, it appears in the Qur’an more than any other descriptive term for Allah. al-Hajar al-Aswad is symbolized by the black stone in the southeast corner of the Ka’ba. The stone was purportedly received by Ishmael from the angel Gabriel. Muhammad included it in the pilgrimage rituals in Mecca, and Muslims in the pilgrimages (still) kiss the black stone in veneration.
There were nature deities, and there were intangible deities. The concept of a supreme god, al-llah (the god) was known among the tribes. The poets called him Allah. Muhammad thus came out of a context of various beliefs and practices associated with animism and polytheism. *{see NOTE 2}
…Muhammad first said that al-Lat, al-Uzza, and al-Manat were deities. Later, he changed his teachings and indicated that his thinking had been corrupted by Satan.
*{NOTE 1 - Muhammad Husain Haykai, Hayat Muhammad (Indianapolis: North American Trust, 1976)}.
*{NOTE 2 - Bernard Lewis, The Arabs in History (London: Hutchinson University Library, 1966) and DeLacy O’Leary, Arabia Before Muhammad (New York: Kegan Paul & Co., 1927)}
Upon entering Mecca, Muhammad then destroyed all the other deities in the Ka’ba and set up Allah as the one and only supreme deity, though still retaining the black stone and various other remnants of the moon-god and the Arabian deities.
No folks, Allah is not the same as Yahweh/Jehovah of the Hebrew/Christian Scriptures and Allah’s messenger sought to lead people away from the True God of Creation; away from the Savior Jesus Christ. And in Jesus’ place, Islam inserts Allah and Muhammad.
The Throne of the One, True God
The hostility towards Christian and Jewish teachings are clearly seen in the Quran and in the Hadith of Muhammad.
Once again, the Quran states:
The Jews say: Uzair is Allah’s son; and the Christians say: The Messiah is Allah’s son… …Allah ruin them, how they are turned away from the truth. They have taken their divines and their monks for lords besides Allah, and also the Messiah son of Mary. They had only been commanded to worship the One God. There is no god but He. Holy is He above that which they associate with Him. They desire to extinguish the light of Allah by blowing through their mouths, but Allah utterly rejects everything except that He will perfect His light, even though the disbelievers may dislike it. He it is who sent His Messenger of Truth, that He may make it (Islam) prevail over every other religion, even though those who associate partners with Allah may dislike it. (Surah 9:30-34)The Quran says of Muhammad and Allah:
We cite the Pleidas as evidence, when it will draw close, that your companion, Muhammad, has neither erred, nor has he gone astray. He does not speak out of his own desire; the Quran is pure revelation sent to him; taught him by the Lord of mighty powers, Whose powers are manifested repeatedly and Who has established Himself firmly on the Throne. (Surah 53:2)
In retrospect, I quote from the Hebrew/Christian Scriptures concerning he who would establish himself upon God’s Throne.
How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, {saying,} 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,… (Isaiah 14:12-16) (NAS)
There are other references in Scripture that relate to those who would exalt themselves and/or their gods to be above the God of the Bible and sit on His Throne. Clearly, according to Jehovah’s Word, Muhammad and Allah seem to fit the bill. Christians, use discernment.
“which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Is Islam, and its messenger, Muhammad, the true religion of God the Creator? Islam denies Jesus Christ. Islam denies God’s sacrifice. Islam denies God’s Atonement. Islam denies God’s forgiveness. Islam denies God’s Love. Islam is an enemy of the Cross. Islam exalts Muhammad over Jesus. Islam clearly says so in its own pages from Allah and his messenger, Muhammad.
The Quran clearly says that Christians are going to hell for believing in Jesus and His Deity… in total contradiction to what the Word of God says about this matter. Christian ministers, ask yourselves who could possibly write such a thing? Could it be the “angel of light” that Apostle Paul speaks of? Clearly, Satan is the only one who would condemn Christians to hell and fire for holding on to the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are getting scared of “offending” people nowadays. Well, Apostle Paul called the Gospel of Christ, “the offense of the Cross.” We are told in Scripture that the Gospel of Christ will offend people. We didn’t make it that way, God did. Shall we not wish to offend those whom God Himself intended to offend with the Gospel of His Son?
At the prayer service that was televised across the United States a couple of days after the WTC/Pentagon tragedy, we saw many ministers, Muslim and Christian and Jewish, stand up in the same church and offer prayers. President Bush gave the final prayer.
Perhaps you will remember that Mr. Bush ended his beautiful prayer with the Scripture.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,… (Romans 8:38-39) (NAS)
However, President Bush left off the final words, “…which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” The Love of God which is in our Lord Jesus Christ. President Bush meant not to offend. I do understand this, I really do. I just cannot reconcile it with God’s Word. It changes things to leave Jesus’ Name off at the end of this Scripture.
It gives one the impression that “God” can be a generic term that can fit into anybody’s religion. Like the generic god of Alcoholics Anonymous, “Your Higher Power, whomever/whatever that means to you.” Or “God” can mean, Allah, the god of Muhammad. But the Scriptures clearly give us a picture of God the Creator in Jesus Christ. If we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. But in Islam, it is blasphemy to even call Allah, “father.” He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:22-23). Therefore, Allah is not the Creator, nor is he the same as the Father in Scripture.
Conclusion
Well, there we have some of the things we are not being told in public forum. I would urge Christians to pray for those who have submitted themselves to another god (Allah). And please remember that this “religion of Islam” is evil, but many Muslim people do not have this evil in their hearts. They were brought up into Islam from birth through no choice of their own. God knows who they are. Praise His Name. Praise Jesus Christ.
Muslim Population Figures
Now in the twenty-first century there are over 1 billion Muslims around the globe. They are present on all continents and in most countries. There are 527 million Muslims in Asia, 306 million in the Middle East, 129 million in Africa, 50 million in Eurasia, 17 million in Europe, over 5 million in North America, and hundreds of thousands in South America.
The four largest Muslim populations are found in Indonesia with 170 million, Pakistan with 118 Million, India with 106 million, and Bangladesh with 103 million.
In the Middle East there are 24 countries each with more than 1 million Muslims. Iran has 56 million followed by Turkey with 55.5 million. Yemen is 99.91 percent Muslim, and Saudi Arabia is close behind.
Africa, including North Africa, has 26 countries with more than 1 million Muslims. Egypt with more than 46 million Muslims has the largest Muslim population, Nigeria has some 45 million, and the Sudan some 20 million. Somalia has the highest percentage of Muslims with 99.96 percent.
Seventeen million Muslims live in Central and Western Europe. France has 5 million, followed by Germany with 2 million, Bosnia with 1.7 million, England with 1.5 million, Bulgaria with 1.25 million, and Italy with 1 million.
The United States, with over 5 million Muslims, is the only country in the Americas with over 1 million. Argentina has over 400,000 Muslims, followed by Canada with over 200,000, Brazil with over 150,000, and Panama with over 100,000 Muslims. {‘Islam’ Its Prophet, Peoples, Politics and Power- Broadman & Holman Publishers, ppg. 165-167}.
Books and eBooks by Gary F. Zeolla, the Director of Darkness to Light
The above article was posted on this Web site May 4, 2002.
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