60 Qestions For The Christians
According to most Christians, Jesus was God-incarnate, full man and full God. Can the finite and the infinite be one? "To be full" God means freedom from finite forms and from helplessness, and to be "full man" means the absence of divinity.
1.To be son is to be less than divine and to be divine is to be no one’s son. How could Jesus have the attributes of sonship and divinity altogether?
2.Christians assert that Jesus claimed to be God when they quote him in John 14:9: "He that has seen me has seen the Father". Didn’t Jesus clearly say that people have never seen God, as it says in John 5:37: "And the father himself which Has sent me, has borne witness of me. You have NEITHER HEARD HIS VOICE AT ANY TIME NOR SEEN HIS SHAPE"?
3.Christians say that Jesus was God because he was called Son of God, Son of Man, Messiah, and "savior". Ezekiel was addressed in the Bible as Son of Man. Jesus spoke of "the peace makers" as Sons of God. Any person who followed the Will and Plan of God was called SON OF GOD in the Jewish tradition and in their language (Genesis 6:2,4; Exodus 4:22; Psalm 2:7; Romans 8:14). "Messiah" which in Hebrew means "God’s anointed" and not "Christ", and "Cyrus" the person is called "Messiah" or "the anointed". As for "savior", in II KINGS 13:5, other individuals were given that title too without being gods. So where is the proof in these terms that Jesus was God when the word son is not exclusively used for him alone?
4.Christians claim that Jesus acknowledged that he and God were one in the sense of nature when he says in John 10:30 "I and my father are one". Later on in John 17:21-23, Jesus refers to his followers and himself and God as one in five places. So why did they give the previous "one" a different meaning from the other five "ones?
5.Is God three-in-one and one in three simultaneously or one at a time?
6.If God is one and three simultaneously, then none of the three could be the complete God. Granting that such was the case, then when Jesus was on earth, he wasn’t a complete God, nor was the "father in Heaven" a whole God. Doesn’t that contradict what Jesus always said about His God and our God in heaven, his Lord and our Lord ? Does that also mean that there was no complete god then, between the claimed crucifixion and the claimed resurrection?
7.If God is one and three at a time, then who was the God in heaven when Jesus was on earth? Wouldn’t this contradict his many references to a God in Heaven that sent him?
8.If God is three and one at the same time, who was the God in Heaven within three days between the claimed crucifixion and the claimed resurrect ion?
9.Christians say that: "The Father(F) is God, the Son(S) is God, and the Holy Ghost(H) is God, but the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is not the Father". In simple arithmetic and terms therefore, if F = G, S = G, and H = G, then it follows that F = S = H, while the second part of the statement suggests that F آ¹ S آ¹ H (meaning, "not equal"). Isn’t that a contradiction to the Christian dogma of Trinity in itself ?
10.If Jesus was God, why did he tell the man who called him "good master" not to call him "good" because accordingly, there is none good but his God in Heaven alone?
11.Why do Christians say that God is three-in-one and one in three when Jesus says in Mark 12:29: "The Lord our God is one Lord" in as many places as yet in the Bible?
12.If belief in the Trinity was such a necessary condition for being a Christian, why didn’t Jesus teach and emphasize it to the Christians during his time? How were those followers of Jesus considered Christians without ever hearing the term Trinity? Had the Trinity been the spinal cord of Christianity, Jesus would have emphasized it on many occasions and would have taught and explained it in detail to the people.
13.Christians claim that Jesus was God as they quote in John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". This is John speaking and not Jesus. Also, the Greek word for the first occurrence of God is HOTHEOS which means "the God" or "God" with a capital "G", while the Greek word for its second occurrence is "TONTHEOS", which means "a god " or "god" with a small "g". Isn’t this dishonesty and inconsistency on the part of those translating the Greek Bible? ? Isn’t such quotation in John 1:1 recognized by every Christian scholar of the Bible to have been written by a Jew named Philo Alexandria way before Jesus and John?
14.Wasn’t the word "god" or "TONTHEOS" also used to refer to others as well as in II Corinthians 4:4 "(and the Devil is) the god of this world" and in Exodus 7:1 "See , I have made thee (Moses ) a god to Pharaoh"?
SALVATION:
Christians say that "GOD LOST His only son to save us". To whom did God lose Jesus if he owns the whole universe?
15. If it was agreeable with God’s Majesty to have sons, He could have created a million sons the like of Jesus. So what is the big clear deal about this only son?
16.Why does the Bible say that Jesus wanted to die on the cross, when the one on the cross was shouting "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" according to Matthew 27:45 and Mark 15:33?
17. If God had wanted to save us, couldn’t He have done that without sacrificing Jesus?
18. God is Just, and justice requires that nobody should be punished for the sins of others, nor should some people be saved by punishing other people. Doesn’t the claim that God sacrificed Jesus to save us because He was Just, contradict the definition of justice?
19. People sacrifice things they have to get something they don’t have when they can’t have both. Christians say that "God SACRIFICED His only son to save us". We know that God is Almighty; to whom did He sacrifice Jesus?
20. A real sacrifice is when you can’t get back what you have offered , so what would be the big deal about such a sacrifice if God could recover the same offering? (according to the Christians’ terminology)?
21. If all the Christians are saved through Jesus and are going to Heaven no matter what they do, then the teachings of Jesus are irrelevant and the definition of good and bad are also rendered irrelevant. If this is not so, then do Christians who believe in Jesus yet do not follow his teachings nor repent go to Hell?
22. How can Christians take deeds as irrelevant after becoming one when Jesus says in Matthew 12:36; "But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. For by the words thou shalt be justified, and by the words thou shalt be condemned"?
23. Christians say that people go to Heaven ONLY THROUGH JESUS, yet Paul says in 1 CORINTHIANS 7:8-16 that the unbelieving husband is acceptable to God because he is united with his wife and vice versa, and their pagan children are also acceptable to God. So people can go to heaven without believing in Jesus according to this.
24. How come the Bible says that ALL Israel is saved although they don’t believe in Jesus? Doesn’t that contradict the claim in the Bible that the only way to heaven is through Jesus?
25. According to Christians, those who have not been baptized will go to Hell. So even the infants and babies go to Hell if not baptized, since they are born with an inherited original sin. Doesn’t this contradict the definition of justice? Why would God punish people for sins they never committed?
HOLY SPIRIT:
The only place in the Bible where the Paraclete was called the Holy Spirit is in John 14:26 "But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you". What has the Holy Spirit brought or taught for the last 2000 years?
26.Christians say that the Paraclete means the Holy Spirit (John 14;26). Jesus said in John 16:7-8 "If I do not go away the Paraclete will not come to you". This could not mean the Holy spirit, since the Holy spirit was said to have been there before Jesus was even born as in Luke 1:41 "Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit". Here, the Holy spirit was also present during Jesus life time. So how could this fit with the condition that Jesus must go away so that the Holy spirit will come?
27.In John 16:7-8, it says: "But if go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of sins and of righteousness and of Judgment". What do "he" and "him" refer here? Don’t they refer to a man?
28.Does the Holy Spirit talk to good Christians and bad Christians as well? Is the Holy spirit with them all the time or just at certain times? When does it start visiting a person who wants to become a Christian?
29.How can you as a Christian tell if the Holy Spirit is inside another Christian? How come many Christians fooled people by claiming that the Holy spirit was inside them only to be converted to another religion later on ?
30.Does the Holy Spirit dictate what Christians should do without choice or freedom at all or does it only guide them and they have the freedom to follow or not ?
31.If the Holy Spirit dictates what Christian should do, why do Christians commit sins and make mistakes ? How can you explain the conversion to other religions and atheism of many Christians? Are they told to do that by the Holy Spirit?
32.If the Holy Spirit guides Christians only, and they are free to do what they want, then how do we know that the writers of the Gospels didn’t make mistakes in writing them?
33.If Christians believe that the Holy Spirit comes and talks to them everyday, why don’t they ask the Holy Spirit about which version of the Bible to follow since there are too many versions floating around?
MISSION OF JESUS:
Without borrowing from other religions and systems, can Christianity provide people with a complete way of life? Since Christianity is limited to spiritual life and does not provide law, how can a society decide which laws are right or wrong?
34.Why do the Christians say that Jesus came with a universal mission when he said that he was sent to the Jews only? He said to the Canaanite woman who asked him to heal her daughter from demon-possession: "I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel" and also said: "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs", Matthew 15:21-28.
RESSURECTION:
If you read Matthew (28:1-10), Mark (16:1-20), Luke (24:1-12), and John (20: 1-18), you will find contradicting stories. They all agreed that the tomb was guarded for three days. However, they reported the discovery of the empty tomb differently.
Matthew (28) and John (20) reported that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were the first to discover the tomb.
Mark (16) reports that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were the first to discover the empty tomb.
Mark (28) reports that there was an earthquake that removed the rock from over the tomb. He says that an angel caused it. The other gospels do not mention of an earthquake.
Matthew and Mark say that only ONE man in white clothes was sitting on the tomb when the woman arrived, and that he was an angel.
Luke says that TWO men in white clothes, who were angels, were sitting. Johns says that the two women did not meet anybody the first time they came to the tomb, but when they returned, they saw TWO people, ONE was an ANGEL, and the other was JESUS.
Matthew reports that when the guards reported this to the chief priest, the chief priest paid them a large sum of money, telling them: "You have to say that his disciples came at night and stole his body." He claims that the soldiers took money and spread the story around and since then, the story had been circulating among the Jews until today (according to Matthew). The other gospels do not report of any such thing.
35. Which narration now is more authentic?
36.Why is the appearance of Jesus after the crucifixion taken as a proof of his resurrection when there is an explanation that he was not dead because someone else was crucified in his place when God saved Him?
37.How did Matthew know of the claimed agreement between the soldiers and the chief priest? Can’t someone say that someone paid the women a large sum of money and told them to spread the word around that Jesus rose from the dead, with the same authenticity as that of the story of Matthew?
38.Why did they believe that man in the white clothes? Why did they believe he was an angel? John’s narration is too strange, since he says that Mary did not recognize Jesus (one of the two) while talking to him, and she only recognized him when he called her by her name.
39.How does an empty tomb prove that Jesus was crucified ? Isn’t it that God is capable of removing another man from the tomb, and of resurrecting him too?
40.The Gospels are believed to be the verbatim words of God, they are supposed to be dictated by the Holy Spirit to the Disciples who wrote them. If the source were the same, why shouldn’t they correspond with each other in reporting such an important event?
41.How could Matthew, Mark, Luke and John be considered eyewitnesses of resurrection when the Bible implies that nobody at all saw Jesus coming out of the tomb?
BIBLE:
If the Christians consider the Old Testament as God’s Word, why did they cancel the parts of the Old Testament that dealt with punishment (example: the punishment for adultery)?
42.Why doesn’t Mark 16:9-20 exist in as many versions of the Bible while it exists as a footnote or between brackets in some other versions? Is a footnote in the Bible still considered as God’s word, especially when it addresses an important feature like the Ascension?
43.Why does the Catholic Bible contain 73 books while the Protestant Bible has only 66? With both claiming to have the complete Word of God, which one should be believed and why?
44.Where do those new translations of the Bible keep coming from when the original Bible is not even available ? The Greek manuscripts which are translations themselves are not even similar with each other.
45.How can you take two gospels from writers who never met Jesus, like Mark and Luke?
46.Why is half of the New Testament written by a man who never even met Jesus in his lifetime? PAUL claimed with no proof that he had met Jesus while on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus. PAUL was the main enemy of Christianity. Isn’t that reason enough to question the authenticity of what he wrote? Why do the Christians call those books of the Old Testament "God’s Word" when the revisors of the RSV Bible say that some of the authors are UNKNOWN? They say that the author of SAMUEL is "UNKNOWN" and that of CHRONICLES is "UNKOWN, PROBABLY COLLECTED AND EDITED BY EZRA"!
CONTRADICTIONS:
47.Concerning the controversial issues in the Bible, how can Christians decide by two-thirds majority what is God’s Word and what is not, as the prefaces of some Bibles say like that one of the RSV ?
48.Why does Luke in his gospel report the Ascension on Easter Day, and in the Acts, in which he is recognized as the author, FORTY days later?
49.The genealogy of Jesus is mentioned in Matthew and Luke only. Matthew listed 26 forefathers from Joseph to David while Luke enumerated 41 forefathers. Only Joseph matches with Joseph in those two lists. Not a single other name matches! If these were inspired by God word by word, how could they be different? Some claim that one is for Mary and one is for Joseph, but where does it says Mary in those two Gospels?
50.If Moses wrote the first books of the Old Testament, how could Moses write his own obituary? Moses died in the fifth book at age 120 as mentioned in Deut. 34:5-10.
51.In the King James Version, why does it report SEVEN years of famine in II SAMUEL 24:13 while it reports THREE years of famine in I CHRONICLES 21:12? Why did they change both to THREE years in the New International Version and other versions?
52.Still In the same King James Version, why does it say that Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign in II CHRONICLES 21:12, while it says EIGHTEEN years in II KINGS 24:8? Why did thessey change in both to EIGHTEEN in the new Versions?
53.In all versions, why does it say that David slew the men of SEVEN HUNDRED chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand HORSEMEN as evidenced in II Samuel 10:18 while its says SEVEN THOUSAND men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand FOOTMEN, in I CHRONICLES 19:18?
54.In all versions, why does it report TWO thousand baths in I KINGS 7:26 while II CHRONICLES 4:5 reports THREE THOUSAND?
55.In the King James version, why does it report that Solomon had FOUR THOUSAND stalls for horses in II CHRONICLES 9:25 while it accounts that Solomon had FORTY THOUSAND stalls of horses in 1 KINGS 4:26? Why did they change both to FOUR THOUSAND in the new versions?
56.In GENESIS 1, God’s creation progresses from grass to trees to fowls, whales, cattle and creeping things and finally to man and woman. GENESIS 2, however, puts the creation of man before cattle and fowl and woman subsequent to beast. How can this be explained?
QUR’AN AND CHRISTIANS
This section does not inquire or interrogate, but rather provides the reader with some of the Qur’anic verses that address the Christians in particular, and the people of the scripture in general. A great portion of the Qur’an pertains to or involves the Christians and the Jews and I decided to just choose verses that are related to the topic of this manuscript.
"Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then said unto him: Be, and he was." Al-Qur’an 3:59.
"Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for Lords besides Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto him).
"O People of the Scripture! Why will you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were revealed till after him? Have you then no sense?
Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not of the idolaters.
Lo! Those of mankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and his Prophet and those who believe (with him); and Allah is the Protector of the believers.
A party of the People of the Scripture longs to make you go astray; and they make none to go astray except themselves, but they perceive not.
O People of the Scripture! Why disbelieve you in the revelations of Allah, when you (yourselves) bear witness to their truth?
O People of the Scriptures! Why confound you truth with falsehood and knowingly conceal the Truth? (Al-Qur’an 3: 64-71)
And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him and in the hereafter, He will be one of the losers (Al-Qur’an 3:85).
And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, and Allah’s messenger. They slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them, and Lo! Those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain:
But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise. (Al-Qur’an 4:157-158).
O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter ought concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him, so believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three"! Cease! (it is ) better for you! Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as defender.
The Messiah will never scorn to be a slave unto Allah, nor will the favored angels. Whosoever scorns His service and is proud, all such will assemble unto Him.
Then, as for those who believed and did good works, unto them will He give them their wages in full, adding unto them of His bounty; and as for those who were scornful and proud, then He will punish with a painful doom." (Al-Qur’an 4:171-173).
"And with those who say Lo! We are Christians, We made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished. Therefore We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.
O People of the Scripture! Now has our messenger come unto you, expounding unto you much of that which you used to hide in the Scripture, and forgiving much. Now has come unto light from Allah and plain scripture:
Whereby Allah guides him who seeks His good pleasure unto paths of peace, He brings them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guides them unto a Straight Path.
They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah if he had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah’s is the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He creates what he wills. And Allah is able to do all things. (Al-Qur’an 5:14:17).
"They surely disbelieve who say; Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O children if Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and you Lord. Lo! Whosoever ascribes partners unto Allah, for him Allah has forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evildoers ,there will be no helpers.
They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of the three; when there is no God save the One God. If they desist not from so saying, a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.
Will they not rather turn unto Allah and seek forgiveness of Him? For Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful.
Say: Serve you in place of Allah that which possesses for you neither hurt nor use? Allah is the Hearer, the Knower.
Say: O People of the Scripture! Stress not in your religion other than the Truth, and follow not the vain desire of folks who erred of old and led many astray, and erred from a plain road." (Al-Qur’an 5:72-77)
"And when Allah says: O Jesus, son of Mary: Did you say unto mankind: take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah?, he says: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. If I used to say it, then You Knew it, You know what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Your mind. Lo! You, only You, are the knower of things hidden.
I spoke unto them only that which You commanded me (saying); worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. I witness of them while I dwelt among them, and when You took me, You were the Watcher over them. You are witness over all things.
If You punish them, Lo! They are Your slaves, and if you forgive them (Lo! They are Your slaves). Lo! You, only you are the Mighty, the Wise.
Allah says: This is a day in which their truthfulness profits the truthful, for theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they are secure forever, Allah taking pleasure in them and they in Him. That is the great triumph. (Al-Qur’an 5:116-119)
"And the Jews say: â€کUzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah’, and the Christians say: â€کThe Messiah is the son of Allah’. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah fights against them. How perverse they are!
They have taken as Lord besides Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One God. There is no God save Him. Be He glorified from all that they ascribe as partners (unto him)!
Faint would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah disdains (aught) save that He shall perfect His light, however much the disbelievers are averse.
He it is Who has sent His messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth, to cause it to prevail over all religions, however much the idolaters may be averse.
O you who believe! Lo! many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks devour the wealth of mankind wantonly and debar (people) from the way of Allah. They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, unto them give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom.
On the Day when it will (all) be heated in the fire of Hell, and their foreheads and their flanks and their backs will be branded therewith (and it will be said unto them): Here is that which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard." (Al-Qur’an 9:30-35).
MUHAMMAD OR JESUS?
Christians claim that the prophecy in Deut. 18:18 refers to Jesus and not Muhammad. The verse says: "I will raise them up a prophet from among THEIR BRETHREN, LIKE UNTO THEE, and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." The only reason they resort to such interpretation is that both Moses and Jesus were prophets. Even this one contradicts their claim that Jesus was God and not a Prophet. Many prophets of the Jews had the similarity with Moses. However, if we compare Muhammad to Moses, we will find that:
Muhammad was an Arab, and the Arabs are from Ishmael, son of Abraham, while Moses was a Jew, and the Jews are from Isaac, son of Abraham. Hence, the term THEIR BRETHREN refers to the children of the first son being brethren of the children of the other. This couldn’t apply to Jesus, since he was a Jew.
According to the Christians, Jesus went to Hell for three days while Moses did not. Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses. (In Islam, none of the three Prophets went to Hell)
Moses and Muhammad were born to fathers and mothers while Jesus was born to a mother alone.
Moses and Muhammad got married and had children, while Jesus did not marry at all.
Moses and Muhammad got problems and difficulties from their people initially, but were accepted by them at the end., whereas Jesus was rejected by his people at the start and is still rejected by the Jews until today. "He (Jesus) came unto his own, but his own received him not".( John 1:11)
Moses and Muhammad had power, besides being prophets. They both performed some capital punishments, for example, while Jesus had no power over his people. "My kingdom is not of this world", Jesus said in John 18:36 .
Moses and Muhammad brought new laws while Jesus did not.
Moses was forced to emigrate in adulthood to Median while Muhammad was forced to emigrate at that stage in his life too, towards Madina . Whereas Jesus did not have such forced emigration in his adulthood .
Moses and Muhammad both died of natural deaths after which they were buried ,while the same could not be said of Jesus. He was neither killed nor crucified at all, according to the Qur’an and did not die a â€کnatural’ death as could be affirmed by Christians who believe in Crucifixion.
FINAL QUESTIONS:
57.Why won’t you, Christian reader, come to hear and learn of the true religion of Jesus?
58.Have you, as a Christian , learned of Islam and if so, was it from the true Muslims?
59.As a Christian, do you agree that out of fairness and honesty you must investigate what Islam says about God, Jesus, including this life and the hereafter?
60.Being a Christian, do you also believe that we must all stand accountable to our Creator and that the Creator is Perfect and Just? As a sincere believer in God, don’t you owe it upon yourself to find out the entire unadulterated truth regardless of the consequences?
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Indispensable implication of Sunnah and caution against Innovation
All praise be to Allâh who completed the religion for us, perfected the blessing on us and chose Islam as our religion. May the blessings and peace be upon His slave and Messenger, who called upon people to obey his Lord and cautioned against extravagance, innovation and disobedience; and may Allâh bless his posterity, his companions and those who follow his footsteps till the Day of Judgement.
I have been acquainted with the article published on the first page of the weekly magazine Edarat of Kanpur, an industrial city of Uttar Pardesh in India, which contains an implied campaign against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its adherence to the Islamic creed, and its opposition to innovations. The writer alleges that the creed of the Salaf (early adherents to Islam) which is held by Saudi Kingdom does not agree with the Sunnah. By this, the writer aims at creating division amongst the Ahl-as-Sunnah and encouraging the innovations and superstitions. This attitude, no doubt, is most abominable and dangerous and aims at offending the Religion of Islam and spreading innovations and deviations from the truth. Furthermore, the article concentrates clearly on the subject of celebrating the Prophet's birthday as an excuse to discuss the creed of the Kingdom and its rulers. Therefore, I consider it necessary to enlighten the people on this subject. So seeking help of Allâh, I say:
It is not permissible to celebrate the birthday of the Messenger or somebody else. In fact, it must be stopped, as it is an innovation in the religion. Allâh's Messenger neither celebrated it, nor commanded others to do this for himself; or for anyone who died before him amongst the Prophets, or for his daughters, or his wives, or his other relatives. The rightly-guided Caliphs, the Companions of the Prophet or the Successors who rightly followed them did not celebrate this event, nor did anyone of the Muslim scholars in the centuries before.
They knew the Sunnah of the Prophet best, they loved him more, and followed the Shari'ah better than those who came after them. if celebrating his birthday was a good deed, they would have done it.
We are commanded to follow and forbidden to innovate. This is because of the perfection of the Islamic religion and the sufficiency of what Allâh and His Messenger have given us and are accepted by Ahl-as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah. The Muslim community of the Companions and those who followed them in the best way.
It is related to the Prophet that he said:
" ãä ÃÍÏË Ýí ÃãÑäÇ åÐÇ ãÇ áíÓ ãäå Ýåæ ÑÏ "
"He who innovates something in this matter of ours that is not of it, will have it rejected). (Transmitted by Al-Bukhâri and Muslim)
According to Muslim who reported:
" ãä Úãá ÚãáÇ áíÓ Úáíå ÃãÑäÇ Ýåæ ÑÏ "
"Whoever does an act which is not in agreement with our matter, will have it rejected."
In another tradition, the Prophet said:
" Úáíßã ÈÓäÊí æÓäÉ ÇáÎáÝÇÁ ÇáÑÇÔÏíä ÇáãåÏííä ãä ÈÚÏí, ÊãÓßæÇ ÈåÇ æÚÖæÇ ÚáíåÇ ÈÇáäæÇÌÐ, æÅíÇßã æãÍÏËÇÊ ÇáÃãæÑ, ÝÅä ßá ãÍÏËÉ ÈÏÚÉ æßá ÈÏÚÉ ÖáÇáÉ "
"You must keep to my Sunnah and of the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs, cling to it firmly. Beware of newly invented matters, for every new matter is an innovation and every innovation is misleading".
He used to say in every Friday Khutbah (sermon, religious talk):
" ÝÅä ÎíÑ ÇáÍÏíË ßÊÇÈ Çááå æÎíÑ ÇáåÏí åÏí ãÍãÏ æÔÑ ÇáÃãæÑ ãÍÏËÇÊåÇ æßá ÈÏÚÉ ÖáÇáÉ "
"The best discourse is the Book of Allâh and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh, and the worst matter is that of innovation and every innovation is misleading".
Thus, these Ahâdith (traditions) contain a strong caution against innovations and a warning that such an act is a deviation from the right course. The Prophet warned the people of the gravity of these innovations and of their bad consequences. There are many traditions adduced in this connection. And the Almighty has said:
æóãóÇ ÂÊóÇßõãõ ÇáÑøóÓõæáõ ÝóÎõÐõæåõ æóãóÇ äóåóÇßõãú Úóäúåõ ÝóÇäúÊóåõæÇ
"... And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad ) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it), ..." (V.59:7)
Allâh, the Most High said:
ÝóáúíóÍúÐóÑö ÇáøóÐöíäó íõÎóÇáöÝõæäó Úóäú ÃóãúÑöåö Ãóäú ÊõÕöíÈóåõãú ÝöÊúäóÉñ Ãóæú íõÕöíÈóåõãú ÚóÐóÇÈñ Ãóáöíãñ
"... And let those who oppose the Messenger's (Muhammad ) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah - legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements, etc.) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them." (V.24:63).
Allâh the Almighty said.
þáóÞóÏú ßóÇäó áóßõãú Ýöí ÑóÓõæáö Çááøóåö ÃõÓúæóÉñ ÍóÓóäóÉñ áöãóäú ßóÇäó íóÑúÌõæ Çááøóåó æóÇáúíóæúãó ÇáúÂÎöÑó æóÐóßóÑó Çááøóåó ßóËöíÑðÇ
"Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad ) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh much." (V.33:21)
And Allâh the Almighty said:
þæóÇáÓøóÇÈöÞõæäó ÇáúÃóæøóáõæäó ãöäó ÇáúãõåóÇÌöÑöíäó æóÇáúÃóäúÕóÇÑö æóÇáøóÐöíäó ÇÊøóÈóÚõæåõãú ÈöÅöÍúÓóÇäò ÑóÖöíó Çááøóåõ Úóäúåõãú æóÑóÖõæÇ Úóäúåõ æóÃóÚóÏøó áóåõãú ÌóäøóÇÊò ÊóÌúÑöí ÊóÍúÊóåóÇ ÇáúÃóäúåóÇÑõ ÎóÇáöÏöíäó ÝöíåóÇ ÃóÈóÏðÇ Ðóáößó ÇáúÝóæúÒõ ÇáúÚóÙöíãõ
"And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhâjirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and the Ansâr (the citizens of Al-Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhâjirun) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allâh is well-pleased with them as they are well- pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success." (V.9:100).
And Allâh the Almighty said:
Çáúíóæúãó ÃóßúãóáúÊõ áóßõãú Ïöíäóßõãú æóÃóÊúãóãúÊõ Úóáóíúßõãú äöÚúãóÊöí æóÑóÖöíÊõ áóßõãõ ÇáúÅöÓúáóÇãó ÏöíäðÇ
"... This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion..." (V.5:3).
This verse decisively indicates that the Almighty Allâh has completed the religion for this Ummah, and has showered His blessings on them.
His Prophet passed away only after he had imparted the complete Message of Allâh to the Ummah as well as his legislations concerning sayings and deeds. He also stressed that all things invented by people and then attributed to the religion of Islam are innovations and to be rejected, even if their inventors did so in good faith.
It is established that the Companions of the Prophet and the righteous Successors after them warned the people against innovations as they add to Islam and legislate what is not permitted by Allâh, in line with the enemies of Allâh such as the Jews and the Christians who added to their religion and innovated what was not allowed by Allâh. Moreover, to admit innovation in Islam is to admit that Islam is incomplete and imperfect. Such a belief is not only an evil but contradicts the following verse: "This day have I perfected your religion for you," and the sayings of the Prophet which warn us against innovations.
To celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Prophet and the others, means that the religion is not perfected by Allâh (the Glorious, the Almighty) for this Ummah, and the Messenger did not impart to the people what was necessary regarding their religious duties, till these late ones appeared and invented in the religion what is not permitted by Allâh, thinking that this would bring them nearer to Allâh.
Undoubtedly, this is a great danger and is tantamount to criticizing Allâh the Almighty and the Prophet ; whereas Allâh the Almighty has already completed the religion and perfected His Grace, and the Prophet has conveyed the Message openly and informed the Ummah of all such ways that will lead them to the Paradise and save them from Hell-fire.
According to an authentic Hadith, on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-Aas, Allâh's Messenger said:
" ãÇ ÈÚË Çááå ãä äÈí ÅáÇ ßÇä ÍÞÇ Úáíå Ãä íÏá ÃãÊå Úáì ÎíÑ ãÇ íÚáãå áåã æíäÐÑåã ÔÑ ãÇ íÚáãå áåã "
"Allâh ÊÚÇáì (the Almighty) did not send a Prophet but obliged him to lead his people to the best way which is known to him, and warn them against the worst which is known to him." (Transmitted by Muslim)
It is well-known that our Prophet is the best of all the Prophets, the last and the most perfect of them regarding the way he conveyed the Message and advised his people.
Had the celebration of Milâd been an act of religion chosen by Allâh for His slaves, the Prophet would have either explained that to his people and would have celebrated it during his life, or his Companions would have done it. As these did not happen, it becomes clear that Islam has no concern with Milâd. On the contrary, it is one of the innovations against which the Prophet has warned his people as mentioned earlier.
A host of scholars have not only rejected the celebration of Milâd but have warned against it in view of the evidences given above.
According to the rule of the Islamic Shari'ah all matters regarding legalization or prohibition and all disputes among the people, should be referred to the Book of Allâh and the Sunnah of His Messenger in line with the saying of Allâh:
þíóÇ ÃóíøõåóÇ ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ ÃóØöíÚõæÇ Çááøóåó æóÃóØöíÚõæÇ ÇáÑøóÓõæáó æóÃõæáöí ÇáúÃóãúÑö ãöäúßõãú ÝóÅöäú ÊóäóÇÒóÚúÊõãú Ýöí ÔóíúÁò ÝóÑõÏøõæåõ Åöáóì Çááøóåö æóÇáÑøóÓõæáö Åöäú ßõäúÊõãú ÊõÄúãöäõæäó ÈöÇááøóåö æóÇáúíóæúãö ÇáúÂÎöÑö Ðóáößó ÎóíúÑñ æóÃóÍúÓóäõ
"O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad ), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger ,if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." (V .4:59)
And Allâh the Almighty said:
æóãóÇ ÇÎúÊóáóÝúÊõãú Ýöíåö ãöäú ÔóíúÁò ÝóÍõßúãõåõ Åöáóì Çááøóåö
"And in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allâh (He is the ruling Judge). (42:10)
Referring this issue back to the Book of Allâh, we find it ordaining upon us to follow Allâh's Messenger in his commandments and warns us against whatever he prohibits. Furthermore it tells us that Allâh has perfected the religion for the people. So, as long as Milâd is not among the teachings of the Prophet , it cannot be a part of the religion which Allâh has perfected for us and asked us to adhere to by following the Prophet .
Again when we refer this issue back to the Sunnah of Allâh's Messenger , we do not find either the Prophet or the Companions doing it by themselves or asking others to do it, So it becomes evident that Milâd, is not a part of religion, rather one of innovations and blind imitation of the people of the Scripture, i.e. the Jews and the Christians in their festivals. With this argument in mind, it becomes crystal clear for everyone having the least insight and inclination towards truth and justice, that celebrating any birthday has nothing to do with Islam. It is rather among the innovations which Allâh and His Messenger warned against emphatically.
A wise man must not be deceived by seeing a large number of people doing it throughout the world because the truth is known and recognized by the evidences of Shari'ah and not by the acts of a great number of people.
Allâh ÊÚÇáì (the Almighty) says regarding the Jews and the Christians:
æóÞóÇáõæÇ áóäú íóÏúÎõáó ÇáúÌóäøóÉó ÅöáøóÇ ãóäú ßóÇäó åõæÏðÇ Ãóæú äóÕóÇÑóì Êöáúßó ÃóãóÇäöíøõåõãú Þõáú åóÇÊõæÇ ÈõÑúåóÇäóßõãú Åöäú ßõäúÊõãú ÕóÇÏöÞöíäó
"And they say, `None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.' These are their own desires. Say (O Muhammad ): `Produce your proof if you are truthful.''' (V.2:111).
And the Almighty also said:
þæóÅöäú ÊõØöÚú ÃóßúËóÑó ãóäú Ýöí ÇáúÃóÑúÖö íõÖöáøõæßó Úóäú ÓóÈöíáö Çááøóåö Åöäú íóÊøóÈöÚõæäó ÅöáøóÇ ÇáÙøóäøó æóÅöäú åõãú ÅöáøóÇ íóÎúÑõÕõæäó
"And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you far away from Allâh's path. They follow nothing but conjectures, and they do nothing but lie." (V.6:116).
Most of these innovations, in addition to their innovatory nature, also do not usually escape from a number of other evils, such as mixed gatherings of men and women, songs accompanied by musical instruments. drinking intoxicants, narcotics and the like. They may also involve the worst thing i. e. the greatest Shirk, through showing exaggeration in Allâh's Messenger and other saints and through praying to him, invoking his help or believing that he knows what is hidden and all similar claims which render a believer as an infidel. It is authentically reported that the Messenger of Allâh has said:
" æÅíÇßã æÇáÛáæ Ýí ÇáÏíä ÝÅäãÇ Ãåáß ãä ßÇä ÞÈáßã "
"Beware of extravagance in the religion: It has caused the people before you to perish".
He also said:
" áÇ ÊØÑæäí ßãÇ ÃØÑÊ ÇáäÕÇÑì ÇÈä ãÑíã, ÅäãÇ ÃäÇ ÚÈÏ ÝÞæáæÇ ÚÈÏ Çááå æÑÓæáå "
"Do not lavish praise on me as the Christians did with the son of Maryam. I am just a slave. So simply say: The slave of Allâh and His Messenger". (Transmitted by Bukhâri)
It is curious to note that a great many people participate most actively in these celebrations and defend them vehemently, while they sit back from attending the obligatory forms of worship such as daily and Friday prayers. They are not even ashamed of this, nor do they realize that they are committing a great evil.
Undoubtedly, this shows the weakness of their Faith, their short-sightedness, and the deeply ingrained rust on their hearts because of sins and disobedience. We ask Allâh's protection for us and for all the Muslims.
It is even more astonishing to note that some people believe that Allâh's Messenger is present at Milâd. Consequently they stand to greet and welcome him. That is not only a sheer lie but a worst form of ignorance, as the Prophet shall neither come out of his grave before the Day of Resurrection, nor shall he meet the people or attend their meetings. Instead, he shall remain in his grave till the Day of Resurrection while his soul rests at the highest of the high with his Lord in the most exalted and highest place.
Allâh ÊÚÇáì (the Almighty) says:
þËõãøó Åöäøóßõãú ÈóÚúÏó Ðóáößó áóãóíøöÊõæäó. þËõãøó Åöäøóßõãú íóæúãó ÇáúÞöíóÇãóÉö ÊõÈúÚóËõæäó
"After that, surely, you will die. Then (again), surely, you will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection." (V.23:15, 16).
And the Prophet said:
" ÃäÇ Ãæá ãä íÔÞ Úäå ÇáÞÈÑ íæã ÇáÞíÇãÉ æÃäÇ Ãæá ÔÇÝÚ æÃæá ãõÔóÝøóÚ "
"I am the first one to rise from the grave on the Resurrection Day and I will be the first intercessor and the first one whose intercession is to be accepted."
The aforesaid evidences from the Qur'ân and Hadith prove beyond doubt that the dead people will come out of their graves only on the Day of Resurrection. All the scholars of Islam agree upon this. A Muslim should be aware of these things and must not be easily misled by the innovations and the superstitions created by the ignorant people with no authority from Allâh at all.
As for offering the blessings and greetings (Salât and Salâm) to the Prophet , they are among the most preferred and virtuous deeds in accordance with the Saying of Allâh:
þÅöäøó Çááøóåó æóãóáóÇÆößóÊóåõ íõÕóáøõæäó Úóáóì ÇáäøóÈöíøö íóÇ ÃóíøõåóÇ ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ ÕóáøõæÇ Úóáóíúåö æóÓóáøöãõæÇ ÊóÓúáöíãðÇ
"Allâh sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad ) and also His angels too (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad ), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As- Salâm-o-Alaikum)." (V.33:56).
The Prophet has said:
" ãä Õáì Úáíøó æÇÍÏÉ Õáì Çááå Úáíå ÚÔÑÇ "
"Whosoever sends blessings on me one time, Allâh sends blessings on him ten times".
It is prescribed on all times, particulary at the end of each prayer. It is held obligatory at the last Tashahhud of each Salât (prayer) by most of the scholars. It is strongly required at a number of occasions such as immediately after Adhân, at the mention of the name of the Prophet , during the day of Friday and the night preceding it, according to a host of Ahâdith.
This is what I wanted to emphasize regarding this issue. I hope it will satisfy everyone whom Allâh has shown the light.
How sad it is to see some devoted Muslims, known for their strength of Faith and love for the Prophet organizing such innovatory celebrations.
Let us ask such people: Tell us, if you belong toAhl-as-Sunnah and follow the Prophet , whether he himself or one of his Companions or their Successors did this or is it no more than a blind-following of the enemies of Islam from among the Jews and the Christians and the like¿
The love of the Prophet is not reflected by the celebration on his birthday, but by obeying him, believing in his teachings, keeping away from what he prohibited and by worshipping Allâh in the way he prescribed for us.
It is also reflected through offering Salat and Salâm to him from time to time, particularly at the mention of his name and during prayers.
The Wahhabiyya, as the writer tends to put it, are not new in rejecting all such innovations. Their creed is to hold fast to the Book of Allâh and the Sunnah of His Messenger ; to follow his footsteps and those of his rightly- guided Successors; to believe and practise what was propounded by the virtuous Predecessors and the Imâms of learning and guidance who were capable to issue religious injunction concerning the knowledge of Allâh, and His Attributes of perfection and dignity as shown in the Glorious Book and the authentic Ahâdith (traditions) of the Prophet and as wholeheartedly accepted by his Companions.
The Wahhabiyya believe in them, the way they are reported without any alteration, personification, exemplifying or negation of such attributes. They stick to the way of the Successors and their followers from among the people of learning, Faith and piety. They believe that the foundation of the Faith is to bear witness that there is none to be worshipped except Allâh and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allâh. To them, this is the root of Faith and one of its most exalted branches as well.
They know in accordance with the consensus of the Muslims, that this root requires knowledge, acknowlegement and practice.
It implies that none is to be worshipped except Allâh the Almighty, Who has no associates at all. It further implies the negation of worshipping any other except Him. It shows why jinn and mankind were created; why the Messengers were sent and why the Books were revealed.
In addition, Ibâdah (worship) is not only complete submission and love but also complete obedience and veneration as well. Islam is the only religion prescribed by Allâh and disseminated by the Prophets and nothing, except it, is acceptable to Allâh whether in the past or the present. The one who submits his will to Allâh as well as to someone else beside Him, is a Mushrik (polytheist). The same is true for the one who prays to Allâh and someone else beside Him. As for the one who does not submit to Him, he is arrogant concerning his duties towards his Creator.
Allâh, the Almighty says:
þæóáóÞóÏú ÈóÚóËúäóÇ Ýöí ßõáøö ÃõãøóÉò ÑóÓõæáðÇ Ãóäö ÇõÚúÈõÏõæÇ Çááøóåó æóÇÌúÊóäöÈõæÇ ÇáØøóÇÛõæÊó
"And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Tâghût (all false deities etc. i.e. do not worship Tâghût besides Allâh)." (V.16:36).
Thus the creed of the Wahhabiyya is based upon fulfillment of witnessing that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allâh and completely abandoning all innovations, superstitions and whatever goes against the Shari'ah.
This is what Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab ÑÍãå Çááå believed and invited others to believe. Whoever accredits to him anything contrary to it, does not only lie but commits a great sin and claims what is totally unfounded. He will, no doubt, receive what Allâh has promised to all the fabricators of lies.
The Shaikh has shown - through a series of his well-known treatises and scholarly books on the topic of the "Declaration of Oneness: La ilaha illAllâh" - that no one deserves worship except Allâh the Almighty, and that this type of worship should be devoid of all sorts of Shirk whether big or small. Anyone who is aware of these writings, his way of preaching and calling people to Allâh and of the way of his pupils and disciples, can easily find out that his approach was not different from that of our virtuous Predecessors, the great Imâms of learning and guidance. Indeed, he has propounded what they did throughout their lives concerning the worship of Allâh Alone and leaving all innovations and superstitions aside.
This is the foundation of the Saudi regime and this view is held by the scholars of Saudi Arabia. The hard attitude shown by the Saudi government is directed only against the superstitions and innovations in contradiction with Islam, or the extreme type of extravagance which is totally prohibited by the Prophet . All Muslims, scholars and rulers of Saudi Arabia hold great respect and love for every Muslim regardless of his affiliation to any group or country in the world. They do reject all types of celebrations or gatherings which are based on innovation, with no authority from Allâh or His Prophet .
They oppose them because every new matter in the religion is an innovation and because the Muslims are commanded to follow, not to innovate. Islam is perfect and complete by itself.
It is in no need of any addition after what Allâh and His Prophet have ordained and what the Ahl-as-Sunnah wal-Jamâ'ah, from among the Companions, the Successors and their followers have already received. To forbid celebrating the birthday of the Prophet due to its innovative nature in addition to the signs of extravagance and Shirk normally associated with it, is not un-Islamic or derogatory to the Prophet . Instead, it is an act of obedience as the Prophet himself said:
" ÅíÇßã æÇáÛáæ Ýí ÇáÏíä ÝÅäãÇ Ãåáß ãä ßÇä ÞÈáßã ÇáÛáæ Ýí ÇáÏíä "
"Beware of the extravagance in matters of religion. Those before you have perished because of extravagance in the matters of religion".
Again he said:
" áÇ ÊØÑæäí ßãÇ ÃØÑÊ ÇáäÕÇÑì ÇÈä ãÑíã, ÅäãÇ ÃäÇ ÚÈÏ ÝÞæáæÇ ÚÈÏ Çááå æÑÓæáå "
"Do not lavish praise on me as the Christians did with the son of Maryam. I am but a slave. So simply say: `Slave of Allâh and His Messenger."'
This is what I wanted to point out regarding the aforesaid article.
May Allâh help us and all the Muslims to understand His religion, to continually confirm us on it, stick to Sunnah and keep away from the innovation. Indeed He is Generous and Kind.
And may Allâh shower His blessings and mercy upon our Prophet Muhammad, his posterity and his Companions.
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