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Islam and Christianity:

Some Truths About Islam, Muhammad's Followers
Part Two

By Michael Caplow

This article is continued from Islam and Christianity: Part One

Perhaps now you will begin to understand my rebuttal to what we are being told by Muslim leaders. They are saying that the Quran does not teach punishment upon non-believers, but in fact, the Quran does teach punishment upon Christians (we will see more shortly).

According to the Quran, Christians are hiding the truth “deliberately” to lead people astray:
A section of the People of the Book would fain lead you astray, but they only lead themselves astray, only they perceive it not. People of the Book, why do you reject the signs of Allah, having been witness thereof? People of the Book, why do you confound truth with falsehood and hide the truth deliberately? … …They utter a lie against Allah and they know it. (Surah 3:73-79)

Concerning Islam’s “intolerance” for other faiths:
Whoso seeks a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he shall be among the losers. (Surah 3:86)

And again, contrary to what we are being told, “infidels” in the Quran are Jews who “disbelieve” in Allah and his messenger. And also Christians, who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the Cross and was resurrected from the dead, and is the Atonement for the sins of the world. The Quran states once again, that if a Christian continues to “disbelieve” in Islam and Muhammad, he will find himself unaccepted by Allah:

How shall Allah guide a people (Christians and Jews) who have disbelieved after having believed and who had borne witness that the Messenger is true and to whom clear proofs had come? Allah guides not the wrongdoers. Of such the punishment is that on them shall be the curse of Allah and of the angels and of men, all together; thereunder shall they abide. Their punishment shall not be lightened nor shall they be granted respite; except in the case of those who repent thereafter and amend (turn to Islam). Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful. Those who disbelieve after having believed, and then continue to advance in disbelief, their repentance shall not be accepted. Those are they who have gone utterly astray. (Surah 3:87-91)

The Muslim leaders have been saying that there is no precedent in the Quran for the suicide martyrs.

But consider the following:
Do not slacken, therefore, nor grieve; you will have the upper hand, if you continue firm in the faith (of Islam). If you should receive an injury, they will have received a like injury; and We cause these days, with their ups and downs, to alternate between the people that they may be admonished, and that Allah may cause to be known those who believe and may make some of you martyrs, and that Allah may purify those who believe and may utterly destroy the disbelievers. Allah loves not the unjust. Do you reckon that you will enter Paradise while Allah has not yet caused to be known those of you that strive hard in the cause of Allah and has not yet caused to be known the steadfast? You used to wish for this type of death before you met it; now that you have encountered it in all its aspects, there is no cause for any of you to hold back. (Surah 3:140-144)

Read the above Quran verse carefully several times. It is true that many Muslims would not use the above verse as a precedent for suicide martyrdom, but it is not true that these verses do not exist in the Quran as we are being told.

O ye who believe, if you obey those who have disbelieved (Jews and Christians), they will cause you to revert to disbelief and you will become losers. Indeed, Allah is your Protector and He is the Best of helpers. We shall strike terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved because they associate partners with Allah, for which He has sent down no authority. Their abode is the Fire, and evil is the habitation of the wrongdoers. (Surah 3:150-152)

Again, in the above, we see how the teachings of Muhammad and the Quran strongly condemn Christians for associating Jesus with God (associating partners with Allah). The Christian’s abode is “Fire,” they are “evil” and are “wrongdoers.” Clearly, the above calls Christians, “disbelievers.” And the Quran states that terror will be struck in the hearts of Christian disbelievers.

There are many more Quran verses of punishment and/or killing of disbelievers:
Warn the disbelievers of a painful chastisement, excepting those of them with whom you have a pact and have not faulted in any respect, nor supported anyone against you. Carry out the obligations you have assumed towards them till the end of their terms. Surely, Allah loves those who are mindful of their obligations. When a period of four months during which hostilities are suspended expires, without the idolaters having settled the terms of peace with you, resume fighting with them and kill them wherever you find them and make them prisoners and beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. (Surah 9:3-6)

“Kill them wherever you find them?!” “…make them prisoners and beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush?!” Isn’t this exactly what Osama bin Laden and the other terrorist factions do? Yes, it is in the Quran, and there is much more like it. And when we also consider the Sunnah, which are the sayings and doings of Muhammad that all Muslims hold sacred, we will find much more violence and conquering and “jihad of the sword.”

When you meet in battle those who have disbelieved, smite their necks; and after the slaughter fasten tight the bonds, until the war lays aside its burdens. Then either release them as a favour, or in return for ransom. That is the ordinance. Had Allah so pleased He could have punished them Himself; but He has willed that He may try some of you by means of others. Allah will never render vain the works of those who are slain in His cause. He will guide them and improve their condition, and admit them to the garden which He has made known to them. O ye who believe, if you will help the cause of Allah, He will help you and make your steps firm; while ruin will seize those who disbelieve, and He will render their works vain…… …That is because Allah is the Helper of those who believe, and the disbelievers have no helper. (Surah 47: 5-12)

And we have to remember that the “disbelievers” are all those who refuse to accept Allah and his prophet, Muhammad, and those who associate partners with Allah (Christians). Ponder this quote from the above Surah one more time: “Had Allah so pleased He could have punished them Himself; but He has willed that He may try some of you by means of others. Allah will never render vain the works of those who are slain in His cause. He will guide them and improve their condition, and admit them to the garden which He has made known to them.” Here, among many other Quran verses, is a precedent for punishing disbelievers; and Allah does this through “means of others” and promises Paradise for those slain for his cause.

Fight those from among the People of the Book who believe not in Allah, nor in the last day, nor hold as unlawful that which Allah and His messenger have declared to be unlawful nor follow the true religion, and have not yet made peace with you, until they pay the tax willingly and make their submission. (Surah 9:29).

Many Muslim leaders have been telling the Americans that "infidels" are only those who are atheists. But the above verse from the Quran (one of many) shows that their fight is directed towards "People of the Book" who are believers in God (Jews and Christians) and not atheists, and also against those who do not follow the "true religion" of Islam. Clearly, this is against anyone who rejects Allah and his messenger, Muhammad. And the ordinance is: fight the People of the Book… until they make their submission.

The Jews say: Uzair is Allah's son; and the Christians say: the Messiah is Allah's son; these are but their verbal assertions, whereby they imitate the sayings of those who disbelieved before them. Allah ruin them, how they are turned away from the truth. (Surah 9:30-35).

In reading the Quran, there are very many references to Christians and Jews (People of the Book) and the calling is to fight against them and “Allah, ruin them” if they will not “surrender” to Allah and his messenger. The Muslim leaders are sidestepping this fundamental teaching of the Quran when addressing the American people.

O ye who believe, what ails you that, when it is said to you: Go forth, all together, to fight in the cause of Allah; you are held down by your worldly interests?…….. …Allah is mighty, Wise. Go forth, light armed or heavy armed, and strive in the cause of Allah with your belongings and your persons. (Surah 9:38-42)

The appropriate penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and run about in the land creating disorder is that they be slain or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on alternate sides. ….. …except in the case of those who repent before you obtain power over them. (Surah 5:34-35).

Notice that the calling is to “obtain power over them.” But if they repent (surrender to Islam) before a Muslim obtains power over them, they can be spared this death or mutilation. How deep does this disdain for Jews and Christians go? - all the way back to Muhammad, Islam’s revered prophet whose sayings make up the verses of the Quran:

You will surely be tried in respect of your possessions and your persons and you shall hear many hurtful things from those who were given the Book before you (Jews) and from those who set up partners with Allah (Christians), but if you show fortitude and restrain yourselves (from disbelief), that indeed is a matter of strong determination. (Surah 3:187)

Call to mind when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the Book: You shall make it known to the people and shall not conceal it; yet they threw it away behind their backs, and bartered it for a paltry price. Evil is that which they have taken in exchange for it. …They shall suffer a grievous chastisement. (Surah 3:188-190)

Surely the true religion in the estimation of Allah is Islam, that is, complete submission to Him, and those who were given the Book (Jews/Christians) disagreed only, out of mutual envy, after knowledge had come to them. Whoso rejects the Signs of Allah should remember that Allah is Swift at reckoning. (Surah 3:20)

A former Muslim and Islamic scholar has said:
We must never imagine that such Muslims are being necessarily wicked. They are simply being faithful to their religion. The fact is never hidden as to the attitude a good Muslim should have towards Christians and Jews. In fact, much of the incitement to violence and war in the whole of the Quran is directed against the Jews and Christians who rejected what they felt to be the strange god Mohammed was trying to preach. {G.J.O. Moshay, Who Is This Allah? (Dorchester House Publications, 1994), p. 24}

So, the fact is that there is sufficient premise in the Quran to lead one to a radical extremism; and the interpretation is not hard to see in the Quran. Obviously, all Muslims do not believe in terror, and there can be extremists in any religion. But among all the holy books in the world, the Bible, Hindu Vedas, Buddhist writings, etc., the Quran is the only holy book that has dozens of verses directed against a particular people: Christians and Jews! And if Allah is the same as Jehovah, then why does Allah deny Jesus Christ? …but Jehovah wrote a Testament about Him? Allah and Jehovah are not the same. I will offer some documentation for this position shortly.

Some of those whom are called “extreme Muslims” are in reality following in the footsteps of their prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was a devout, warring, religious conqueror convinced that Allah had chosen him as a prophet. Muhammad was the first “extreme” Muslim, and history shows his many conquests in Allah’s name and his long-held hostility for the Jews.

The prophet’s (Muhammad’s) experience in Medina began a new period of Muslim history. After settling into this new home, Muhammad organized raids, or razzias, on caravans traveling to Mecca. The first razzias were unsuccessful, but he did eventually succeed. With growing support, Muhammad now presented a significant threat to the city of Mecca. Jews living in Medina raised a cry of opposition against Muhammad, especially because the prophet had made the audacious claim to be Allah’s true prophet. Disappointed by the rejection of the Jews, Muhammad instructed his followers to face Mecca when praying, rather than Jerusalem, which had been the traditional practice. To this day, Muslims face Mecca in prayer, the act itself remaining a long-standing symbol of the hostility between Jews and Arabs. ….

Finally in January 630, Muhammad, accompanied by ten thousand men, marched into Mecca …His further razzias eventually led to his becoming the most powerful religiopolitical figure in Arabia. He was successful in uniting a confederation of Arab tribes that would eventually conquer the Byzantine and Persian empires, extending itself throughout northern Africa amd Byzantium. {Dictionary of Sects, Religions and the Occult - George A. Mather and Larry A. Nichols - Zondervan Publishing - pg. 140}.

Historian Will Durant writes:
During his ten years in Medina, Muhammad planned sixty-five campaigns and raids, and personally led twenty-seven… …As the triumphant Arab armies swelled with hungry or ambitious recruits, the problem arose of giving them new lands to conquer, if only to provide them with food and pay. The advance created its own momentum; each victory required another, until the Arab conquests - more rapid than the Roman, more lasting than the Mongol - summed up to the most amazing feat in military history…

In 635 Damascus was taken, in 636 Antioch, in 638 Jerusalem; by 640 all Syria was in Moslem hands; by 641 Persia and Egypt were conquered. {Will Durant, op. cit., Vol. IV, pg. 170, 188}.

Far from being a religion of peace and understanding, Islam’s “foundation” is that of a religion of conquering and hostility for a particular people, the Jews.

“…The last hour will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them.”… …“He who dies without having fought, or having felt it to be his duty, will die guilty of a kind of hypocrisy.”… …“…There is no emigration after the Conquest, but only jihad… so when you are summoned to fight, go forth.” {Mishkat al Masabih Sh. M. Ashsraf (1990), pp. 147, 721, 810-11, 1130 etc.}

The above are the words of Muhammad. The Muslims who truly follow Muhammad are listening to his teachings and following his example. Even the Muslims who do not promote terrorism cannot escape the fact that Muhammad himself said that the last day would not come until the Muslims have killed the Jews in a fight! The above are Muhammad’s words; whom the Muslims honor above all other men, and they believe that he spoke words from God.

And as we have already seen, this hostility is extended to Christians as well for “associating partners with Allah” and calling Jesus Lord and Savior. Maybe many American Muslims do not feel this hostility, but it is taught by their prophet and in their Quran; and the leaders of Islam definitely know these things - even the American Muslim leaders. They honor the same book, the Quran, and the same prophet, Muhammad. As Muhammad was dying, he asked his god, Allah, to curse the Jews and Christians (Bukhari, Vol. 1, #427). In contrast, consider what Jesus asks of His God as nails are being driven into His wrists and feet… “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Quite a contrast, huh?

Martin Luther wrote about the Quran and said…
He (Mohammed) greatly praises Christ and Mary as being the only ones without sin, and yet he believes nothing more of Christ than that He is a holy prophet, like Jeremiah or Jonah, and denies that He is God’s Son and true God… …On the other hand, Mohammed highly exalts and praises himself and boasts that he has talked to God and the angels…

From this anyone can easily see that Mohammed is a destroyer of our Lord Christ and His kingdom… …(the) Father, Son, Holy Ghost, baptism, the sacrament, gospel, faith, and all Christian doctrine are gone, and instead of Christ only Mohammed and his doctrine of works and especially of the sword is left. {Martin Luther, On War Against the Turks, C. M. Jacobs and R. C. Schultz in Luther’s Works, ed. By H. T. Lehmann (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967), ppg. 170-77}.

It is clear that Muhammad, and all of Islam, denies that Jesus is “the Christ.” And the Quran, unlike other established religious writings, has many specific passages that deny Jesus Christ in every way as to His deity, Atonement and Throne. Islam also has deep-rooted hostility towards the Jews and Christians. And all of this comes from the “foundation” of Muhammad and the Quran. Christians must consider these things.

The Apostle John puts it in pretty simple language…
Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. (I John 2:22) (NAS)

It is here that we need to stop for a moment to make some distinctions. Clearly, according to all the Apostles of Christ in the Bible, Islam would be “antichrist” for preaching another Jesus and another gospel; which is no gospel at all. Jesus talks about “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Clearly, there are people in Islam (and elsewhere) that have an agenda of trying to deny Jesus Christ and destroy His works. But then, there are many Muslims who are just deceived, having believed that they have found the religion of God in Islam, and they do not have a particular agenda other than trying to follow the religion that they believe in or were “born into.” For these who are deceived, but have no “conscious agenda” to destroy Christ’s works, we must pray for and witness to them if they will hear.

The real problem for us is that we cannot tell what is in anyone’s heart, and therefore we cannot tell whether someone has an agenda or not. Only God knows this. So, we must then consider “Islam, the religion,” to be antichrist and try to keep our hearts open to the Muslim “people” that might recognize Christ if they had the right information. It is a hard task to view the religion of Islam as evil, as it should be viewed for the Christian, and then try to view the Islamic people as those whom might be found in God’s favor. But, with God, all things are possible.

In my mind, I have the “works” of the religion of Islam separated from the people, even though I speak harshly of Islam. I write this to remind others to try to make the same separation while still being able to recognize and expose the seduction and lies of Islam. This work was written to heighten Christian discernment and to expose Islam, Muhammad and the Quran, as antichrist; not to slander one billion Muslims. (and I said Islam is “antichrist” - not “THE” antichrist!).

When one considers that Islam is the second largest and fastest growing religion on the face of the earth, it is not too far-fetched to consider the dragon in Revelation who also goes against a particular people: Jews and Christians. It is interesting that Islam is the only religion on the face of the earth that blames Jews and Christians for corrupting and perverting God’s Word. The other established religions do not agree with Christianity either on the matter of deity in Christ, and must also be considered antichrist for this reason, but those other religions do not have a specific agenda directed at Jews and Christians; but Islam does. So, as Christians, let’s be careful and be informed of the “teachings” of Islam, but let’s try to remember not to group all Muslim “people” into the “agenda driven” category.

Now we will delve a little bit into fundamental Muslim thought, which, contrary to what we are being told by many, did originate with Muhammad, his sayings, and alleged revelations.

A Muslim scholar, Muhammad Hamidullah, writes:
A struggle cannot be anything except a holy act. All war is forbidden in Islam, if it is not waged for a just cause, ordained by Divine law. The life of the Prophet (Muhammad) provides reference to only three kinds of wars: defensive, punitive, and preventive.… …To establish liberty of conscience in the world was the aim and object of the struggle of the Prophet Muhammad and who may have a greater authority in Islam than he? This is the ‘holy war’ of the Muslims, the one which is undertaken not for the purpose of exploitation, but in a spirit of sacrifice, its sole objective being to make the Word of God prevail. All else is illegal. There is absolutely no question of waging war for compelling people to embrace Islam; that would be unholy war. {Muhammad Hamidullah, Introduction to Islam (Paris: Centre Culturel Islamique, publication no. 1, 1969), pg. 156}.

In other words, after all the double talk is removed, any war is a holy war if your main objective is to spread the word of Allah “to establish liberty and conscience in the world.” So, the Muslim scholars say that war is forbidden in the Quran, except, of course, if your objective is to make the word of Allah prevail; which is a “just cause” to the Muslim. Then, war can be justified.

According to Islam, the sole objective of Muhammad, and all the conquering that he accomplished, was to make the Word of Allah prevail. So, if Muhammad were justified in his many conquests, then any Muslim who purports to have as his “sole objective” the spreading of the word of Allah, could also be justified in his conquests. And if the Jews and Christians have perverted God’s Word, as the Quran and Islam state, then warring against Jews and Christians could be “just cause” to “cause Allah’s word to prevail.” Scary thought, huh?

This is no secret in the Quran, and the Islamic fundamentalists are just being “fundamental.” Any true Muslim who sincerely honors Muhammad and the Quran would also find this fundamental premise in the teachings of Muhammad and the Quran - the scholars certainly do. Terrorist Osama bin Laden released a statement to the world (9/25/01) specifically against all Christians and Jews. Where do we think he gets these ideas from? - the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad.

There are many more teachings supposedly by Muhammad in the Sunnah, which are the sayings and doings of Muhammad. These “Hadith” (traditions) are sacred to all Muslims.

Two quotes sum up the fundamental objective of Islam:

1).  The characteristics of Islamic fundamentalism are several and make for a general profile. Truth in a literal sense has been given by Allah. The guide to every condition of life is found in three sources. They are in descending priority, the Qur’an, the Sunnah (the sayings and doings of Prophet Muhammad), and the Shari’a (Islamic law - the codification of the rules and principles in the Quran and the Sunnah). {The Economist, 4 April 1992, 47}.

2).  Islamic fundamentalism returns to a classic Islamic worldview in which the world is partitioned into two parts. There is the world or territory ruled and administered by Islam, and there is the world or territory which is un-Islamic and disobedient and not under the rule of the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the Shari’a. Islam must bring the disobedient world under its domain. {Bernard Lewis, “The Roots of Muslim Rage,” in The Atlantic Monthly (September 1990), 49}.

Ahmad Khomeini, son of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, says…
Iran’s Islamic revolution has awakened all the Islamic countries… …Islam recognizes no borders. We cannot put off establishing Islamic governments and administering the divine laws. The objective of the Islamic Republic and its officials is none other than to establish a global Islamic rule… … Political means and methods may differ, but no revolutionary Muslim ever forgets the objective. {Ahmad Khomeini, in Kayham, Teheran, 11 January 1992}.

And some more Islamic fundamentalist thought:
Imagine some group that says to the Muslims who are delivering the call of Islam to a nation: “You have no right to say what you are saying. We do not allow it.” In these circumstances it is not permissible to fight with that nation, with those people who are blameless and unaware. But is it permissible for us to fight against that corrupt regime which props itself up with a putrid ideology that it uses like a chain around the necks of people to imprison them in a blind alley isolated from the call of truth; a regime which acts as a barrier against that call? Is it permissible for us to fight that regime so as to remove that obstacle? Or, in real terms, is it permissible for us to fight against that prison of repression or is it not? In view of Islam this is permissible, for this itself would be a form of uprising against zulm, against injustice and oppression. It may be that the mazlum, the wronged, the oppressed, are not aware of the nature of the injustice and have not requested our help, but in fact there is no need for them to request it. {Morteza Mutahhari - Bruce B. Lawrence, Defenders of God: The Fundamentalist Revolt Against the Modern Age (San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1989), 189}.

In plain English, Muslims are to “deliver the call of Islam” to the nations as they are told to do in the Quran. They (Muslim leaders) decide which nations are “oppressing people by withholding the truth.” What truth is being withheld from the people? Well, of course, the truth of Islam. Wherever there are people that do not have the truth of Islam, they are oppressed and in prison (in a blind alley). The nations or regimes that do not teach Islam are “acting as a barrier against the call” of Islam. It “is” permissible for Islam to “remove the obstacle” and “fight against that prison of repression.” If the “people” who are being oppressed (not the nation’s leaders or regime who leads the people) say, “You have no right to say what you are saying. We do not allow it,” then Islam cannot fight them because they are “blameless and unaware.”

But notice how Islam can get around this. The oppressed people (the mazlum) are obviously “not aware of the nature of the injustice” being done against them by the nation’s leaders (regime). So, in this case, it is permissible for Islam to fight against the regime. Even if the oppressed people did not ask for the help of Islam, the Muslim feels that it is his duty to bring the truth of Allah and his messenger, Muhammad, to all the nations. Since the oppressed are not really aware that they are living under a lying regime that withholds the truth from them, then Islam can free them for their own good even if they have not requested the help. And here again, we have “just cause” for “jihad” (holy struggle) because the stated “sole purpose” is to cause the word of Allah to prevail; and in this case, war is “just” according to Islam, the Sunnah (the examples set by Muhammad), and Shari’a (Islamic Law).

The Quran states:
Fighting is ordained for you, while it is repugnant to you. It may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and it may also be that you prefer a thing and it may be the worse for you. Allah knows all and you know not. They enquire from thee about fighting in the Sacred Month. Say to them: Fighting is a great evil; but to hinder people from the way of Allah and to deny Him and to profane the sanctity of the Sacred Mosque, and to turn out its people therefrom is a much greater evil in the sight of Allah; and disorder is a worse evil than killing. They will not stop fighting you until they turn you from your Faith, if they can. The works of those from among you who turn back from their Faith and die in a state of disbelief shall be vain in this world and the next. These are the inmates of the Fire, therein shall they abide. Those who have believed and have emigrated, and have striven hard in the cause of Allah, are those who hope for Allah’s mercy. (Surah 2:217-219).

Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight you. But do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out: for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter… …Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail Justice and faith in Allah; But if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression. (Surah 2: 191-194).

Once again, if a Muslim leader decides that there are those who “practice oppression” and “faith in Allah is not prevailing,” then hostility can be permitted because the Quran says, “tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter!” …so then slaughter can be justified because the Quran teaches it is better than tumult and oppression; and tumult and oppression are interpreted in Islam as anything not under the submission of Islam, or those who do not recognize Islam as sovereign.

This article is continued at Islam and Christianity: Part Three

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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