The Bible and Islamic Teachings

by Ologunde Sa'eed

"Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. For assuredly, I say to you, till the heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title will by no mean pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-19)

"If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15)

What is Islam?

In the simplest form, Islam is the religion of total and unconditional submission to the will of God. It is the system by which a man is persuaded to submit to Allah in that area of his existence in which he enjoys free will, just as he has submitted in the area in which he has no choice but to live by his instincts. Islam is a system of life and a code of practice that puts man at peace with Allah and with His creation. It also signifies peace, which means man can only have peace through complete and unconditional submission to the will of God. Islam is a system of life, according to which the individual and the community are required to organize their lives. It is the sum of those truths to which Allah's messengers have invited mankind since time immemorial. It is the religion of all the Prophets of God.

The Bible and the pillars of Islam

Islam is based on the following five pillars or principles:

To testify La ilaha ill-Allah wa anna Muhammad-ur-Rasul-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger)
Perform Iqamat As-Salat
To pay Zakat
To perform Hajj
To observe Saum (fast) during the month of Ramadan

Tawheed (Islamic monotheism)

Tawheed is Arabic word which means maintaining the unity of Allah. It has three aspects:

(a) Oneness of the Lordship of Allah; Tawheed-ar-Rububiya: To believe that there is only one Lord for all the universe, its Creator, Organizer, Planner, Sustainer, and the giver of Security, etc., and that is Allah.

The following is the evidence for the Oneness of the Lordship of Allah,Tawheed-ar-Rububiya:

".Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is one" (Mark 12:29)
".There is one God, and there is no other but He" (Mark 12:32)
"Jesus said unto her (Mary Magdalene).I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God" (John 20:17)
"And this is the life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus whom you have sent" (John 17:3)
"You shall have no other God besides Me." (Deuteronomy 5:7)
"I even, I am your Lord and besides Me, there is no saviour (Isaiah 43:11)
"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no saviour except me "(Hosea 13:4)

Allah said:

"And your God is one God, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful (Quran 2:163).

(b) Oneness of the worship of Allah; Tawheed-al-Uluhiyah/Ibaaadah: To believe that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah. The following is the evidence for the Oneness of the worship of Allah:

"Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only" (Matthew 4:10)
"Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name " (Deuteronomy 6:13)
"I am the Lord your God that brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the home of bondage, thou shall have no other God besides Me, thou shall not make any graven image of the heaven above, beneath or in the water under the earth. Thou shall not bow down to them or serve them." (Exodus 20:2-5)
"O come, let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the Lord, our maker. For we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His voice and He is our God" (Psalms 95:6-7)

Allah said:

"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him." (Quran 17:23)

We must not name or qualify Allah except with what He or His Messenger (P.B.U.H) has named or qualified Him
None can be named or qualified with the Names or Qualifications of Allah, e.g., Al-Karim
We must confirm all of Allah's Qualifications, which Allah has stated in His Book (the Quran) or mentioned through His messenger (Muhammad) without changing them or ignoring them completely or twisting the meanings or giving resemblance to created things.

The following are the evidences for the Oneness of the Names and Qualities of Allah:

There is nothing like Allah:

"There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer" (Quran 42:11)
"And who will you compare with God" (Isaiah 40:18)
"No one is good but one; that is God" (Luke 18:19)

Allah is the knower of the Unseen

"No-one knows about that day and hour; not even the Angels in heaven but the father" (Mark 13:32)
"Verily! With Allah is the knowledge of the hour." (Quran 31:34)

Allah is the creator of All-things

"Allah is the Creator of all things and He is the agent on which all depends" (Quran 39:2)
"You are worthy, our Lord and God to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their beings" (Revelation 4:11)

Allah is the first and the last

"He (Allah) is the first and the last; the most High and the most Near" (Quran 57:2)
"I am the first and the last and there is no God besides me" (Isaiah 44:6)

Allah sleeps not

"Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Everliving, the Self-Subsisting. Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him" (Quran 2:255)
"Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep"(Psalm 121:4)
All powers belong to Allah
"There is no knowledge or power but with Allah" (Quran 18:39)
"(Jesus said) By myself I can do nothing, as I hear I judge and my judgment is just; for I seek not my own will but the will of the father that sent me" (John 5:30)
"By the fingers of God, I cast out Demons" (Luke 11:20

Performance Of Daily Prayer (Iqamat As-Salat)

Muslims worship God at five different times in a day and this includes placing the forehead on the Ground. Christians are also required to worship in like manner on the standard example of all the prophets of Israel including Jesus Christ. Consider the following please:

"And he (Jesus) went a little further and fell on his face, and prayed." (Matthew 26:39)
"And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship." (Joshua 5:14)
"And he (Elijah) cast down himself upon the earth and put his face between his knees" (Kings 18:42)
"And they (Moses and Aaron) fall upon their faces." (Numbers 20:6)
"And Abraham fell on his face." (Genesis 17:3)

Beyond the above, Nehemiah 8:4-6 contains additional and much more comprehensive evidence, which confirms that the Christians too should worship God by observing the like of the Muslim prayers. Most of the things that are contained in Nehemiah 8:4-6 agrees with what Muslims do while performing any of the daily prayers. Some of these things are:

Many people assembled
Ezra stood on a wooden platform (this is similar to what the Imam leading the prayer stands on while giving the sermon before Friday special worship)
Thirteen people lined up besides Ezra; the first six to his right and the remaining seven lined up to his left. This agrees with how Muslims lined up for any of the daily prayers that are to be performed in congregation
Ezra later glorified the Lord, the Great God, and all the people said Amen.

The Islamic worship starts with Allahu-Akbar (meaning God is Great). In the same way, Ezra glorified the Lord by referring to him as "the Great God". Fatiha which must be read in every unit of each of the daily prayer, ends with prayer for God's Guidance and Muslims therefore say "Amen" after completing the reading of Suratul Fatiha which is the first chapter of the Quran.

Ezra and the people who lined up behind him lifted their hands and later bowed their heads. This is in line with what Muslims do in their daily prayers
Ezra and the people worshipped the Lord with their foreheads on the ground (i.e. they placed their foreheads on the ground to worship God). This is also in line with how Muslims complete their daily prayers.

Fasting In The Month Of Ramadhan (Ninth Month)

"In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, a time of fasting before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah" (Jeremiah 36:9)

Allah said:

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you. That you may become pious" (Quran 2:182)

Pilgrimage (Hajj)

Since "Hajj" is a compulsory duty in Islam, a number of Muslims used to trek to Makkah and Madinah for Hajj. This demonstrates that Muslims are not attracted to "Hajj " duty by modern day Federal Government participation policy in "Hajj" operations. Unlike in the past, Christians demanded and obtained the Federal Government 's approval and participation with respect to what they regard as pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Whereas, there is no Biblical evidence to support the so-called hajj pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In fact, available evidence in the Bible shows that Jerusalem can no longer be called a holy place. Jeremiah 13 verse 27 reads: "I have seen your bad acts on the hills and the plain ground. Woe to you, Oh Jerusalem. How long will it be before you are clean?" And in Galatia 4 Verse 25, it is stated that: " Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem.."

The mention of Arabia above shows that if Christians want to on pilgrimage at all, they should go to Saudi-Arabia. Please note that Hagar is Ishmael's mother.

Az-Zakaat (Yearly Obligatory Charity)

Az-zakaat is annual compulsory payment on every Muslim wealth. Every wealthy Muslim is expected to give out 2.5 percent of his wealth to the needy annually. Compare this with the law of 10 percent of the Bible (Matthew 23:23). Which is stricter?

Ritual Bath

(A) Ablution (i.e. partial washing of certain parts of the body like the hands, face, arm and feet before worship)

"Moses put the water-basin between the tent of meeting and altar and filled it with water. Moses, Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hand and feet whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar as the Lord commanded Moses" (Exodus 40: 30-32)
Jesus washes His Disciples feet (John 13:5-9)

Allah said:

"O you who believe! When you intend to offer the prayer wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, rub your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles."(Quran 5:6)

(B) Ritual bath after sexual intercourse

"When a man lies with a woman and there is emission of semen, both must bathe with water" (Leviticus 15:18)

This bath is compulsory for every lady at the end of every monthly period (i.e. menstruation) (Leviticus 15:19-23)

Call To Prayer

This is done before each of the five daily prayers to invite Muslims to the Mosque. In Nehemiah 9:5-6, it is stated that eight men who were Levites made a call to worship saying: ".stand up and praise the Lord, your God, praise him forever and ever"

Wearing Of Turban

"Then I said 'put a clean turban on his head ' so they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angels of the Lord stood by" (Zechariah 3:5)

Hijaab

"But every woman that prayed or prophesized with her head uncovered dishonoured her head. For if the woman be not covered let her also be shaven. But if it be a shame for a woman to be shaven, let her be covered." (1 Corinthians 11:5-6)
"..So She (Rebecca) took her VEIL and she covered herself up " (Genesis 24:62-65)
"Women are not to wear men's clothing and men are not to wear women's clothing. The Lord your God hates people who do such things" (Deuteronomy 22:5)
"Do not use outward aids to make yourself beautiful through the way you do your hair or the jewellery you put on or the dresses you wear " (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Allah said:

"O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw their veils all over their bodies. That will better, that they should be known so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Quran 33:59)

Female Public Talk

"Let your Women keep silence in the Church for it is not permitted unto them to speak: but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also said the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is a shame for women to speak in the Church" (1 Corinthians 14:34-35)

Greeting

"When you enter a house first say," peace to this house" (Luke 10:5)
"While they were still taking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them,"peace be with you" (Luke 24:36)

Islamic Law

(a) Adultery

"If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman and the woman: so shall thou put away evil from Israel" (Deuteronomy 22:22)

(b) Stealing

"Then said he unto me, this is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth: for everyone that steals shall be cut off as on this side according to it "(Zech 5:3)

"And they shall say unto thee elder of this city. This son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice, he is glutton and a drunkard. And all the men of this city shall stone him with stones that he dies: so shall thou put evil way from among you and all Israel shall hear, and fear. "(Deuteronomy 21:20-21)

(d) Usury (Interest)

"If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shall not be to him as an usurer, neither shall thou lay upon him usury." (Exodus 22:25)
"But love your enemies, do good to them and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High, because, he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked" (Luke 6:35)

Allah said:

"O you who believe! Eat not interest doubled and multiplied, but fear Allah that you may be successful" (Quran 3:130)

(e) Murder

"If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death" (Leviticus 24:22)

Conclusion

The salvation of men lies in having belief in One God and keeping his commandments and not shedding innocent blood. Consider the following please:

"Now behold, one came and said to him, "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" So he said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to him, "which ones?" Jesus said, "You shall not murder, You shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness. Honour your father and mother." (Matthew 19:16-19)

From this conversation, you will observe that, according to Jesus Christ, salvation is guaranteed when man keeps the commandment of God and not in the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross of Calvary as the Christians claim today.

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