selma1
06-08-2006, 08:47 PM
[link removed]
SOME of the ERRORS in the HOLY BIBLE
Today, a big source of income is provided by writing a new Bible and selling it, by continuously changing the Holy Bible, and by publishing new ones. Every Westerner has a Holy Bible in his house, whether he believes or not. Moreover, most Western peasants do not know of any other books, except the Bible. They do not read any other books besides the Holy Bible. The Westerners' cultural level is not as high as most of us think. Those living in villages can read and write, but they do not know what happened in the world. They only read the Holy Bible. That is why every new "reviewed and corrected" Holy Bible is published in the millions, and thereby, every year publishers earn millions of dollars. As a result, we claim that no profession is as profitable as publishing new Holy Bibles by way of changing it from time to time.
Western magazines often say "there are mistakes in the Holy bible." Sometimes there may be some amazing articles written by some famous scientists and theologists. One of them is below:
Now, you too, just like me, will ask yourself: How can the word of Allahu ta'ala be translated incorrectly? How can the word of Allahu ta'ala be revised by men? How can the word of Allahu ta'ala be examined? And say to yourself: Is it possible for such a document or text, which is continuously being changed and corrected, to be "the word of Allahu ta'ala?" Moreover, you will be completely surprised to read the words which are in the prologue of the King James Version, which was changed in 1971 for the second time. The religious committee that did the latest correction states in the prologue as follows: "... The translation of the Holy Bible, which was ordered to be prepared by King James, is extremely perfect. And it can be assumed that it is the highest work of any English publications. But, what a pity that this Book contains so many grave and serious mistakes that require it to be corrected over and over again.
Now, let us think the matter over once again. A religious committee assembled and found a lot of grave mistakes in the Book which had previously been looked upon as the word of Allahu ta'ala, between the years 1020 (1611) and 1391 (1971), and decided that those mistakes had to be corrected. After this, can anybody believe that this Book is "the word of Allahu ta'ala?" We will narrate a pleasant story to you below. The narrator of the story is a person who had scientific discussions with Christian scientists and men of religious authorities on the Holy Book as well as the Christian dogma and successfully proved that the Holy bible has been corrupted. This person says:
"We have seen an article, dated September 8, 1957, in a magazine called Awake, which is published in the U.S.A. Here is the article: 'It is strange but there have been 50,000 mistakes in the Holy Bible!' Recently, a young Christian bought a copy of the Holy Bibles "K J V" (King James Version). Since he believed it was the word of Allahu ta'ala, he thought there were no mistakes in it. But he was surprised when he read an article, namely, "Realities About the Holy Bible," that was written in the magazine look. It said that a religious council formed in the year 1133 (1720) found 20,000 errors in the K.J.V. He was greatly disappointed. When he talked to his religious friends about this matter, they told him that there were 50,000 errors in today's Bible, not 20,000. The young man became unconscious. Now he asked me: 'For Allah's sake! Please answer me! Is this Bible, which I believe to be the word of Allah, full of mistakes?'
"I had read that magazine carefully and kept it. It was about five months ago when someone knocked at the front door of my house. When I opened the door I saw a smiling, kind, and sincere young man. After he had greeted me respectfully, he showed his identification card. "Jehovah's Witness!" was written on that card. I knew that this was the name given to young missionaries. That young missionary, using a very soft voice, said to me: 'First of all, we deemed it to be our duty to invite educated people, who are out of the right way, to Christianity, which is the true religion. I brought for you some good books which contain quality texts quoted from the Bible, which is the word of God. Let me give them to you. Read them and decide for yourself.' I invited him in. I made coffee for him. I think he thought he had deceived me. After we had drunk the coffee, I asked him: 'My dear friend! You accept the Holy Bible, as the word of Allahu ta'ala, don't you?' He responded saying 'of course.' I said: 'So, there are no errors in the Holy Bible, are there?' He said: 'Never.' Then I showed him the magazine Awake and said: 'This is a magazine published in the USA which is a Christian country. This magazine says there are a total of 50,000 errors in the Bible. If it were an Islamic magazine, you would be free to deem it important or not. Now, don't you have to accept the words in a magazine published by a man who is a Christian ? So, what do you think of this claim?' The young man was suddenly surprised. He said: 'Will you let me read the magazine please?' He read it again and again. I watched his face and how he became ashamed. I felt difficulty in not laughing. At last he found an answer to give me. He said 'look! This is a magazine printed in 1957. Now, we live in the year 1980. It means, 23 years have passed. I think the errors have been found and corrected during this time.' I asked him seriously: 'O.K. but, I wonder how many thousands of those 50,000 errors were corrected. Which errors are the corrected ones? Can you give me information about them?' He said, putting down his head: 'I'm afraid I can't do that.' I added: 'My dear guest! How can I believe the Holy Bible is Allahu ta'ala's book when it is often changed and corrected and contains 50,000 errors. Not even a letter in the Qur'an al-karim, which we believe to be Allahu ta'ala's book, has been changed up to now. There are no errors in it, not even a single one. You want me to be a Christian, but your guide, the Bible, is full of errors. So, the way you have chosen is doubtful. Now, how can you explain this dilemma to me?' The poor man was surprised and confused. He left me hurriedly saying: 'I'll see some great priests and come to you again to answer your questions.' But, since that day, I haven't seen him. I have been waiting for him for months. But no word from him up to now."
Now, let me give you some more information about the mistakes and the contradictions of terms in the Bible.
First of all, let me tell you that those who tried and found errors in the Torah and the Bibles are members of the church. They have fallen upon the contradictions, and now they are trying to find a way to get rid of them. Philips, who published a book entitled The Modern Bible Translated Into English in London, in 1971, says about the Book of Matthew as follows:
"It is asserted by some people that Matthew, who was one of the apostles and is supposed to have written a book in the Holy Bible entitled with his own name, did not write it himself. Today many members of the church claim that this book was written by a mysterious person. This mysterious person has changed Matthew's book according to his point of view and added some other words to it. His writing style is clear and fluent. Whereas, the writing style of the authentic Book of Matthew is more complex, but the words are more logical. Matthew used to write down what he heard and saw after he had weighed them in his mind and was absolutely convinced that they were the words of Allahu ta'ala. But, in contrast, the Book of Matthew, as we have it now does not seem to have been written so carefully."
Since the words of Allahu ta'ala cannot be changed continuously, the example above is enough proof to show that today's Book of Matthew has been written by human beings. The original Book of Matthew has disappeared and an unknown man has written a new Bible in its place. Nobody knows who this man is.
As it is known, the four apostles' books that are in the New Testament of today's Holy Bible were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Only John, the son of Hadrat Isa's aunt, had actually seen Hadrat Isa, but he wrote his book in Samos after Hadrat Isa had been taken up into heaven. Neither Luke nor Mark had seen Hadrat Jesus (Isa). In fact, Mark was not an apostle. He was only a translator for Peter. Furthermore, not only the Book of Matthew, but also the book of John is claimed to have been written or changed by someone else. In short, there are many rumors about these four books. But everybody in the world agrees with the idea that: These four books, written by human beings (as you will see below) consist of the tales which convey the same story differently. They are written by human beings.
We would like to mention another aspect of today's Torah and Bibles. The story below is narrated by a man who had scientific discussions with Christians and put them in a position of not being able to answer.
"One day, I called upon my Christian neighbors and said: 'I have been studying the Holy Bible lately. Therefore, I want to read a quote from it to you.' They were very happy to hear that I was busy with the Holy Bible, thinking that 'perhaps, he is about to embrace the true faith.' They hurried around me. I gave a Holy Bible to everybody and requested them to open it to the 37 th chapter of the Book of Isaiah. Then, I said 'Now, I'll read this book from the Bible in my hand. Please follow me and pay attention to see if I am reading everything exactly.' All of them began to listen to me carefully while following the text. The text I read was as follows:
'And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah, the Prophet, the son of Amoz.
And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth."
And I continued to read some more, but while I was reading, I stopped and asked a few times, 'Any questions? Am I reading precisely.' They always affirmed, saying, 'Yes, you are reading precisely.' Then I said to them sharply, 'Now, I'll reveal something to you. The verses I have read are in the 19 th chapter of Second Kings. But, the verses you have followed are in the 37 th chapter of Isaiah. So, these two books are exactly the same. It means that one of them was copied completely. But, I do not know which one was copied from which. It will be your business to decide on this matter. But the books that you have deemed to be holy were stolen from each other. Here is the proof.' They all became furious and cried out saying, 'It cannot be. It is not possible for something like this to happen.' They took the Bible from my hand immediately. They checked it carefully. They were quite puzzled seeing that the verses I had read were in Second Kings 19 and that they were identical to the verses in Isaiah 37. I said to them: 'Do not be angry with me, but is it appropriate for a holy book to have examples of plagiarism in it? How can I believe in a book like this?' All of their heads were lowered. They confirmed the truth unwillingly."
Now, let me show you some more paragraphs in the Holy Bible which cannot be understood.
A verse from Matthew 9:9: "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him: Follow me. And he arose, and followed him."
Now let's examine the statements above. If Matthew wrote them himself, why should he put them down as if he heard the story from someone else named Matthew? If he had written it himself, he should have told it like this: "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, I was sitting at the receipt of custom. He saw and saith unto me: Follow me. I arose, and followed him."
From the Book of Luke 1:3: "For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us. Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus."
It is understood from this paragraph that Luke wrote his book in a time when some other men were busy writing Bibles.
Luke remarks that there exist no Bibles written by any apostles. By reason, he distinguished apostles from those who were busy writing Bibles by saying "Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word."
There was no need for him to say that he was a disciple of one of the apostles. It would bring him no advantage because in that century there were many compilations, texts, and booklets attributed to the apostles. Maybe, he intended it to be a proof to prove that he himself examined every fact in detail and learned from the original source.
A verse from John 19:35: "And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe."
If this passage had been written by John himself, he should not have said "And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe."
If you examine these quotes above, you'll see that the three apostles ('Matthew, Luke, John) did not mention themselves but an unknown man. Who he was is not clear. Who is this man? Is he a man? Is he a prophet? Who are the servants of the word? Who is the man who stood up and followed Hadrat Isa? Who is the witness? How can a religious book be so incomprehensible and full of so many mysteries. Who is witness for whom is still unknown.
Now, let us study the contradictions in the Holy Bible.
II. Samuel 24:13: "So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee?"
Now, let us read in the First Chronicles (21:11) about the same story: "So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, choose thee either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee. Or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel."
You see the great difference regarding the same subject in the two books of the Holy Bible, which is claimed to be the word of Allahu ta'ala. Which one must we believe in? Does Allahu ta'ala contradict Himself?
The differences between the books of today's Holy Bible are so numerous that if we tried to convey all of them, this would be a tremendous book. However, we shall mention a few more contradictions so as to give our readers a more definitive understanding.
Second Chronicles 36:5: "Jehoiachin was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem."
Second Kings 24:8: "Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign." There is a seven year difference between the ages. Apparently, those who have written this holy book did not take into consideration this discrepancy.
Another example:
Second Samuel 10:18: "And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there."
Now, a description of the same battle in the book, First Chronicles 19:18: "But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach, the captain of the host."
Again, pay attention to the differences: According to the first book there were seven hundred chariots, but according to the second book there were seven thousand, or ten times as many chariots. According to the first book, forty thousand horsemen were killed, but according to the second book they were footmen, not horsemen.
If the books in the Holy Bible give such varying explanations, who can believe that they are the words of Allahu ta'ala? Can we say, Allah forbid, that the All-knowing, Almighty is unable to distinguish footmen from horsemen? Does He not know the difference between seven hundred and seven thousand? To assume and declare such contradictory scripture to be the words of Allahu ta'ala is the worst slander and insolence one can perpetrate against Allahu ta'ala. Let us go over some more examples.
The matter we shall examine below concerns the sacrificial area (sacrificing pool) that Hadrat Sulaiman had built in his palace.
The First Kings 7:26: "And it was a handbreadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: It contained two thousand baths." (36)
Now, in the same book, Second Chronicles 4:5: "And the thickness of it was a handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths."
As you see again, there are one thousand baths, that is, thirty-seven hundred liters of difference. Apparently, those who wrote these books did not cooperate with each other and recorded what they remembered without examining the book overall. Thus, this "holy" scripture contradicts itself while being proffered as the words of God. Let us give one more example:
Second Chronicles 9:25: "And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem."
Let us read the same story from First Kings 4:26: "And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots."
As you see here, the number of the stalls has increased ten times.
It can be said, "Mostly there are number differences. Is the number difference so important?" Let me respond to this question with a statement from Albert Schweizer. He said: "Even the biggest miracles cannot prove that two and two equal five, or that there are angels on the circumference of a circle. And also, the most enormous miracles, no matter how many they are, cannot remove any contradictions or mistakes which lie in the Christian doctrine."
Lastly, let us examine some textual contradictions.
Matthew 27:44: "The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." But, Luke (23:43) says: "One of the thieves swore at Hadrat Jesus. The other one heard it and scolded him saying: "Do not do that. He is having trouble like us. And Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
The difference between these two passages can be seen apparently.
According to Mark, after Hadrat Jesus had been pulled down from the cross, while he was among the dead, he talked to his apostles and then ascended into heaven on that same day. However, according to Luke, Hadrat Jesus made his ascent after he had been among the dead for forty days.
It is possible to give many examples like those above. But the size of this book is not large enough to contain all of them. Turmedo, the priest who became a Muslim and whom we introduced to you in the preface of this book, gives some examples himself:
Matthew 3:4: "...and his meat was locust and wild honey." In the same book and just a few chapters below (11:18): "For John came neither eating nor drinking."
The old priest has drawn attention to another point:
Matthew 27:51: "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent. And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. And came out of the graves after this resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."
The priest Anselmo Turmedo, who became a Muslim says: "This description of the tragedy you have already read has been completely derived from an old book. This record was written by a Jewish historian when Titus conquered and destroyed Jerusalem. Now we see the same phrases in the book of Matthew. In other words, somebody has inserted these words into the Book of Matthew." This proves again the assertion: "The book of Matthew is not the actual book written by Matthew himself." And it brings us back to the mysterious person who made those insertions and wrote the book of Matthew.
Let us cite another historical incongruity:
It says in Genesis 16:15: "And Ha'gar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Ha'gar bare, Ish'ma-el." But after a few pages, that is, Genesis 22:2, it states: "And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah." In other words, the fact that Hadrat Abraham had another son named Ismail was forgotten.
Leaving these mistakes aside, which provoke boredom in our readers, let us try to find out the origins of the books which make up today's Holy Bible, which is believed in by today's Christians and Jews.
The first books in the Holy Bible are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. They call these five books the Torah (Tawrat). They suppose the real Torah of Moses ('alaihi 's-salam) consisted of these five books.
We have written above what was said about the Book of Isaiah. As it is rumored, it was written by someone else.
The Book of Judges might have been written by Ismail.
The Book Of Ruth : Author is not known.
The first Book of Samuel : Author is not known.
The second Book of Samuel : Author is not known.
The first Book of the Kings : Author is not known.
The second Book of Kings : Author is not known.
The first Book of Chronicles : Possibly written by Ezra, who was a Hebrew rabbi, a man of religion that lived 350 years before Hadrat Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam).
The second book of Chronicles: It is possible that it too was written by Ezra. The fact that Ezra means 'Uzair is written in the book Munjid. But the writer of these books is not 'Uzair ('alaihi 's-salam). He is a Jewish man named Ezra.
Ezra : Ezra, himself, wrote it.
Esther : Author is unknown.
The Book of Job : Author is unknown.
The Book of Psalms : It means the chapters of Zabur
It is said that they are the verses which belong to David ('alaihi 's-salam), but it also contains some Psalms of Bani Korah, Asaf, Ezrahi, Heman and Hadrat Sulaiman ('alaihi 's-salam).
Jonah : Author is unknown.
Habakkuk : A book written
by a person whom nobody knows. We do not know where he was from, his pedigree, or his job.
This is a very brief summary about the books of the Old Testament in the Holy Bible.
As for the "New Testament," since it has already been explained with its many contradictions and since the necessary information about the apostles has been written, we feel it is unnecessary to repeat them.
Moreover, in many cases, the Bible is simply meaningless. For example: "The wrestling of Hadrat Yaqub (Jacob) with Allah and defeating Him in his dreams" or "the sexual intercourse between Lut ('alaihi 's-salam) and his daughters." Since the Christians have acknowledged how infamous these words are, they have begun to delete them from the Holy Bible.
At this point, let us examine the way today's Holy Bible expresses itself and see what it tries to teach human beings.
As an example, we have taken an article from Genesis, the first book. This book talks about the first human beings, the first prophets, and the great prophets like Adam, Noah, Abraham (alaihimussalavatu wattaslimat). It also outlines how the Hebrew families were formed. Here we quote a few verses from the beginning of the 38 th chapter of Genesis, which talk about Judah, who was the father of the Jews:
"And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Cananite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her and went in unto her. And she conceived, and bare a son;..." Briefly, it means: Judah is the father of the Jewish race. He went to a man from Adulla. He saw there the daughter of a man from Cannan. Her name was Shuah. He took the girl and entered her body. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son.
Now, please, putting your hand on your heart (it means: "Tell me frankly."), and answer this question. What does a religious book teach? A religious book teaches people what they must do and what they must not do. It gives them some advice about this world and the next world. It rebukes them for their bad behavior and praises them for their good deeds. It instructs them on their duties to Allahu ta'ala and how to treat each other. It explains how to live in peace. Briefly, a religious book is a book of morality.
Which one of these points is in the scripture above? It is apparently a story of fornication. This passage could be accepted as pornographic or obscene and banned in every country. Likewise, there are many other immoral scriptures in this book which is believed to be a Holy Book by Christians and the Jews. For example, in the 30 th and subsequent verses of the 19th chapter of Genesis in the Old Testament, the Prophet Lot is alleged to have had sexual intercourse with his own two daughters after they induced him to get drunk by having him drink alcohol, and even worse, as a result, his daughters bore baby boys. Hadrat David is supposed to have had sexual intercourse with Bathseba, Uria's wife. Uria was one of his commanders. After seeing her naked while she was taking a bath, the Prophet sent Uria to the most dangerous battle front in order to get rid of him, according to the words written in the 11th chapter of Second Samuel in the Old Testament. Today, in many European museums, there are pictures illustrating Hadrat David watching Bathseba or of his sending Uria to die. In European languages, there is the expression "the letter of Uria" which means "death- warrant, or very bad news." What do the people who read these kind of stories in the Bible learn? They learn about the men who were forced to be in the same bed with their brother's wives; the fathers- in -law who caused their own son's wife to become pregnant; the father who had sexual intercourse with his own daughter; the religious men (the men who had religious authority) who had sexual intercourse with the wives of those who worked in their offices.
These stories could cause us to go mad. Even some Christians do not believe in these ugly stories and reject them. In an issue of the magazine Plain Truth published in 1977, it said: "While you are having your children read the Holy Bible, you must be very careful because in the Holy Bible there are immoral and degenerate stories. In the minds of those children who will read them very corrupt and wrong ideas will be formed about the relationships between the members of their own families. These stories of fornication, which are mostly in the Old Testament, must be deleted from the Bible, then this purged Bible can be given to them. The same magazine adds: "The Bible must be revised again because with its present form, it does not encourage good morals; on the contrary, it encourages the youth towards immorality."
The famous man of letters Bernard Shaw was more intolerable about the Bible and said: "In the world, the most dangerous book I have ever read, is the Bible. It must be kept under a firm lock. Its appearance must be prevented."
In his book about the Holy Bible, Dr. Stroggie, referring to Dr. Parker, says: "When you read the Holy Bible you feel yourself lost among the subjects which contradict each other. There are too many different and strange names in the Holy Bible. Especially, in the Book of Genesis, they considered pedigrees only. Who was born from whom and how it happened? These are told continuously. What has this to do with me? What connection do these stories have with loving and worshipping Allahu ta'ala? How can we become better men? What is Doomsday? How and who are we going to submit our accounts to? These aspects are hardly addressed. Mostly there are different legends. They begin the night before finishing the day."
In his book entitled Canon of the New Testament, professor F.C. Burkitt wrote: "The four descriptions of Hadrat Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam) in those four Bibles are different from each other. The people who wrote them did not want to coordinate those books. That is why they give conflicting information. There is no relationship between them. While some scripture are like incomplete stories, others seem as if they are quoted from a famous book."
This is said on the 582 nd page of the second volume of the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics: "Hadrat Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam) did not write a book nor ordered any of his disciples to write anything." In other words, this great encyclopedia proves that those four books in the Bible that are written by the apostles are composed of different stories with no religious value.
Today, while scientists, historians, and even the Christian men of religious authority from Europe announce that the existing "Torahs and Bibles are corrupt," the enemies of religion, who deny the value of morality, and who are ignorant of spiritual knowledge, as a result of being excessively proud over their material progress, discount all religions by using the depravity in the Torahs and Bibles as a proof. In addition, they think that they are right to deny miracles. Yet, it is a basic principle for Muslims and Christians, in brief for all religious people, to believe in miracles. The man who tries to prove religious knowledge and faith through his intellect, which is impossible, will go astray. Man is the enemy of what he does not know or understand. Such a pathetic man who is afflicted with the disaster of denying miracles is Ernest O. Hauser, a famous American author of religious books. In his article published in the year 1979, he misinterprets miracles and to a great extent, he insults religious people. In order to deceive youngsters, he took the articles of some atheists as a proof. Shall we read his article together?
"It is said in the Book of Matthew 14:19: ... 'And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes... And they did all eat, and were filled... And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.'
"The most famous miracle of Hadrat Jesus, which is a subject of debate even in our time, is described like this in the Book of matthews.
"A miracle is something extraordinary, done by a prophet to show his own ability and strength in a way contrary to natural laws. But today, how can we propose and except a Christian who has grown up in a modern environment, while having learned the latest technology and science to believe these miracles? But, it is impossible to delete them from the Bible. So, we have to study on miracles carefully and in detail. We have been brought up hearing about so many of the miracles performed by Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam) since the time of our childhood. Among them, his turning water into wine at a wedding in Canan, his calming the terrible storm in Galileo, his curing the blind, his walking on the sea up to his apostles' boat, and his giving life to Lozarus, who had died, have been drilled into our minds. In fact, most of the four Bibles are full of miracles. Miracles are contained in the best sections of the four books of the apostles. When the honorable Jesus came to the Jewish people, he had to perform miracles in order to prove that he was a prophet. He did this because the Jews opposed him and said: 'You claim yourself to be a prophet. Therefore, you must show us miracles in order for us to believe you.' He even had to show miracles to some of his apostles, who had doubts from time to time. For example, when a terrible storm broke out while they were traveling on a boat in the sea, they said: 'Oh! Lord! We are about to die by drowning. Help us, please!' As soon as he signalled, the storm stopped. This incident had a great affect on the apostles. They kneeled down for mercy. They confirmed their belief in him. Later on, when the apostles told this story to other Jews they also admired Jesus and became his followers. [Matthew chapter 8]. It is said in the 37 th and the following verses in the 10th chapter of the Book of John that Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) said, "If I do not do the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him." Those miracles had such a great affect that the famous religious Jew Nicodemus, who did not believe in Hadrat Jesus Christ's ability to work miracles, visited him one night and said to him: 'From now on, I believe that you have been sent by Allah because you cannot do these miracles without the help of Allahu ta'ala.' We know that Hadrat Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) never liked displaying these miracles; he was even ashamed. He said to a leprous man whom he cured only by touching: 'Tell nobody that I cured you.' He deemed it sufficient to say a few words and to act modestly when he performed a miracle. According to the Bible, he said to a woman whose son he had revivified: 'Go on your way, your child is alive.' He used to only say to the patients he cured: 'Get out of the bed and walk.' In fact, those miracles were completed by a little gesture made with his hands or by touching. Hadrat Jesus Christ's compassion and mercy usually were the basis for the miracles being exposed. One day, he met two blind men on the side of the road; they begged him for help. Hadrat Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) pitied them, and when he rubbed their eyes with his hands, they were able to see again. As to the miracle reported by Luke, this one also shows how merciful Jesus was. Hadrat Jesus Christ met a funeral ceremony for a poor woman's only son. Since he felt compassion for the woman, who was in great trouble, he revivified her dead son. Today, there are many Christians who deny these miracles. A new scientist who believes in the honorable Jesus Christ declares that Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) could not perform such miracles. Yet in 1162 (1748), the famous Scotch historian David Hume said: 'Miracles violate the laws of nature, which are based on definite and fixed fundamentals. It is impossible to change these laws. That is why, miracles cannot be believed.'
"But, the most important opinion is that of Rudolph Buthman, a man of religious authority in today's world. This theologist says: 'For a man who has electricity, radio and a television set in his home, it is impossible for him to believe in those imaginary miracles written in the Bible.'
"In order to understand what the origins of those miracles were and to give logical explanations for them ,various experiments have already been done. For example, the miracle of making two fish sufficient for more than five thousand people occurred in a different way. Hadrat Jesus Christ ('alaihi 'ssalam) went out for a walk with some followers. When it was time to eat everybody presented the food he had brought with him. Hadrat Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) added his two fish and five loaves of bread which he had brought, and they all ate together. The miracle of Hadrat Jesus' walking on the sea as far as his apostles' ship was only an optical illusion. We all know that a man walking along the shore of the sea on a foggy day may appear to be walking on the water. As to the miracle concerning his stopping a storm, the fact is that when Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) signalled, the storm was coming to an end anyway. It is correct for you to think that even if he did not signal, the storm was ending anyway. In fact, all of these miracles were reported by those who had seen them. A man who witnesses an event like this, being misled by his emotions, can diminish or exaggerate an event, or say something contrary to the truth. He may tell, not what he witnessed, but how he thought things to be. However our discussion on miracles has almost ended, but it can be concluded that there are few people left who believe the miracles in the Bibles. Recently, a well-known archbishop said: 'Even if a man does not believe in miracles, he can be a true Christian because the fundamental principle of Christianity is to believe in God and have pity for human beings.' This means that when we are reading the Bible, even if we accept it as a legendary book and the miracles in it as imaginary experiences or not, it has no connection with being religious.
"It is remarkable that, on the one hand, the miracles performed by Hadrat Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam) caused him to become world famous, but, on the other hand, they also caused a great number of people to become his enemy. When the Jewish men of religious authority heard that Hadrat Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam) had cured a sick man in Bathesda (Baitania) and revivified Lazarus, they said: 'This man is attracting all the people towards himself by performing these miracles. He almost designates himself to be God. In order to protect ourselves against his harm, we must kill him.' Then, they complained about him to the Romans. On that day, Hadrat Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam) was performing his last miracle by putting a man's ears back into their proper places after they had been cut off by Peter as a result of the servant speaking against Hadrat Jesus. This man was the servant of the chief diviner and had come to catch Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) along with the Roman soldiers. By forgiving him, the Prophet showed the world that 'man should be compassionate towards his enemies also.'
[According to the information in the book History of the Jews written by H. Hirsch, a Jewish man of religion authority, the Jews formed an assembly called The Assembly of Seventies so that they could get their community to explicitly follow the orders of the Torah. The head of that assembly was named The Chief Diviner. Those Jewish men of religion who teach Judaism and interpret the Torah to Jewish students in schools are called Scribes. Their explanations and additions were inserted into the Torah published later on. These are the scribes mentioned in the Bible. One of their duties was to get the Jews to follow the Torah.]
"After that, the miracles of Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam) came to and end. When the romans caught and took him before King Herold, the King told him: 'I hear that you perform miracles. Let me see one.' In response, Jesus was silent and looked down because his mission was over; the business given to him by Allahu ta'ala had come to an end. This prophet after assisting others, could, at this point, not help himself; he was sent to save mankind, not to save himself. How much Allahu ta'ala liked his behavior is clearly understood by the fact that He raised Jesus up into heaven.
"The question, 'Do you believe in miracles?' has been repeatedly asked. Yes, it is hard for today's generation to believe in miracles. But, we must not forget that faith cannot be explained completely by logic. Faith is love and it does not always correspond with logic. A bit of divine right should be left for human beings, as well. When we were still children we used to listen to fairy tales with great joy, but as we grew older, how saddened we were to hear that the animals, fairies, magicians and dwarfs were not true. Let us not think about miracles so much. I suppose, even a man who can think quite logically would take great pleasure in thinking that, whether tale or not, he descended from heaven to the earth on the miraculous wings of Christianity."
The Christians who discovered the mistakes and the defects in the Holy Bible neither believe its words nor its miracles. Though they are Christians, some people like the British philosopher david Hume and the priest Rudolf Butman, who understood that the Torah and the Bible in their hands could never be Allah's word, have clearly declared their hatred for Christianity, and this hatred was reasonable. Meanwhile, violating scientific and ethical fundamentals, they also dared to declare their imaginary thoughts on the miracles given in the Qur'an al-karim which is the true word of Allahu ta'ala. The youngsters reading their articles, which are unjust and not based upon any scientific facts, but written on behalf of science, will be misled just like their authors. Serving innocent youngsters in order to save them from this disaster is the first business for those who are conscientious and consider it to be a sacred duty to serve mankind in this world. We, too, with the intention of pleasing Allahu ta'ala, who orders us to be helpful, will quote below the book Mawahib-i Ludinniyye by Ahmad Qastalani (37) (rahmat-Allahu 'alaih), who was a great Islamic scholar.
"A miraculous occurrence, which was a proof manifesting that the Prophets (alaihimussalavatu wattaslimat) were sent by Allahu ta'ala to announce the truth, is called "mujiza." While performing a miracle (mujiza), a prophet must state to the onlookers: 'If you do not believe, you, too, do the same yourself, but you cannot.' A mujiza is something that is contrary to systematic and scientific laws. That is why a scientist cannot perform a mujiza. If a man displays a miraculous feat but does not make a challenge beforehand or does not explain 'You cannot do this,' he should be looked upon as a wali and not as a prophet. A miraculous deed performed by a wali is called "Karama." Similar things done by others are called "Sihr." that is, magic. The things done by magicians can be done by Prophets (alaihimussalavatu wattaslimat / may Allah's peace be upon them), and awliya [plural for wali] (rahima-humullah ta'ala / may Allah's mercy be upon them) too. For example: When Pharaoh's magicians converted ropes into snakes, the rod of the Prophet Moses ('alaihi 's-salam) became a snake itself and swallowed them all. When the magicians saw that their magic had been subverted and realized that they were not able to perform the mujiza (miracle) which they had just witnessed, they all submitted and believed in the prophethood of Hadrat Moses. Although, Pharaoh had threatened them with torture and death, they did not relinquish their belief. The mujizas of the Prophets (alaihimussalawatu wattaslimat) and the karamas of the awliya (rahimahumullahu ta'ala) have all been created by Allahu ta'ala. Though He creates the events which are conformable to scientific laws and natural phenomena, with the effects of some certain reasons, He creates the mujizas without such reasons. Mujiza is also named "burhan" or "ayat." Sihr (magic) changes the physical properties and shapes of matter. It does not change the structure of matter. But, a mujiza and karama can change both of them.
It was cited both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament that the last of the Prophets, Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) would come, would appear on the Arabian peninsula with certain qualities and would be accompanied by miraculous occurrences. The revealing of these facts is a great mujiza for both the Prophet Moses and Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) and also for Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam). Allahu ta'ala granted each Prophet mujizas similar to the things deemed valuable and meritorious during those times. Allahu ta'ala has not only given Hadrat Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) mujizas like the ones which were given to the Prophets before him, but He also granted him other mujizas as well. The fact that Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) performed more than three thousand mujizas in his life-time is written in the Turkish book Mirat-i Kainat. Eighty-six of them are written in this book in a separate part entitled "The Mujizas of Muhammad" ('alaihi 's-salam).
Some of the Muslims who are not Ahl as-sunnat, and some scientists who are ignorant of religion, do not believe in either all of the mujizas or some among them. They say that such happenings are not conformable to their scientific knowledge. The disbelievers among them must be taught the religion of Islam so that they can attain the true faith. As for those who are believers, they must believe in the mujizas. They have to because the Holy Qur'an informs us that on the Day of Resurrection, the earth, the heavens, the living and the non-living will change their structures and come apart. Those who believe in these changes which do not conform with scientific knowledge, must also believe in miracles. We do not say: "Prophets ('alaimu 's-salawatu wattaslimat) make mujizas or awliya (Muslim saints) (rahimahumullahu ta'ala) make karamas." If we said so, the disbelievers would have a right to speak. But we say: "Allahu ta'ala creates mujizas through His Prophets (alaihimussalawatu wattaslimat) and karamas through his awliya (rahimahumullah ta'ala)." A reasonable and honest man, who knows biological and astronomical events thoroughly, and who has studied the latest scientific developments, understands immediately that every existence, organic or inorganic, from the atoms to the sun, has been created in a well-balanced manner. He also understands that they all run continuously like the components of a single machine depending on each other. He, therefore, without hesitation believes that one entity, seeing, knowing and having infinitive power, has created them as He desired, and is directing them as He wishes. He welcomes the idea of a great creator creating mujizas and karamas, too. As scientists, we say that mujizas are real and are only done by Allahu ta'ala. He makes them possible through His Prophets (alaihimussalawatu wattaslimat). No prophet can perform mujizas by himself without the permission of Allahu ta'ala. Hadrat Jesus' ('alaihi 's-salam) curing the sick people and revivifying the dead are mujizas created by Allahu ta'ala and are revealed in the Qur'an al-karim. But the Christians, many of whom are completely confused about the correctness of their Bible, believe nothing communicated in it, and as a result have become irreligious.
The unfortunate Christians, how can they be expected to believe in today's Holy Bible? Shall we re-write, in brief, the facts you have already learned about the Bible?
1) There are very few passages in the Holy Bible which can be accepted as the words of Allahu ta'ala.
2) It is understood that some words are not the words of Allahu ta'ala, but of a Prophet, through the fact that those words are written in the Holy Bible with the name of the Prophet who uttered them.
3) Numerous words, said by unknown narrators, were added to the Holy Bible.
4) Many Christian men of religion have confessed that many tales and legends are intermixed with the narrations of the apostles.
5) The history of Hadrat Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam), as given by the apostles, is contradictory.
6) Some Biblical books, such as Barnabas' Book which consisted of true narrations, were destroyed by the Christians.
7) The Holy Bible has already been examined and changed again and again up to now by various religious committees. These examinations are still going on today. According to an estimation, there are four thousand (4,000) Holy Bibles at hand, each one being different from the other. Every examining committee claims that there were serious mistakes in the previous Holy Bibles.
8) Various emperors ordered the revision of the Holy Bible and their orders were fulfilled.
9) The means of expression in the Holy Bible are too undignified to be the expressions of Allah's book. Some sections of the Old Testament are too obscene to be read by children, as you have seen above.
10) The fact that there are fifty thousand (50,000) errors in the Holy Bible has already been written by different European Christian magazines. Today, the Christians do their best to correct the worst one called "The Trinity."
11) Finally, by Christian theologists, too, the Bible is admitted to be the "work of human beings," not the words of Allahu ta'ala.
My dear readers! You have examined today's Holy Bible together with us. As you must admit, we did not support any side in this examination. We narrated only the words of religious men from the Christian world, not Islamic scholars. From time to time, they took out different passages which contradicted each other. Everybody can examine and scrutinize the Bible after buying one. We wrote down the chapters and verses of the subjects we studied, and we examined their accuracy extensively.
Now, how can such a book be compared with the Holy Qur'an (Qur'an al-karim) which is eloquent, dignified, divinely expressed and has never been changed, not even a single letter since the time it was revealed? Surely, all of us have come to this conclusion:
The words of Allahu ta'ala are never changed. And such a book which has defects, fabrications, has been changed from time to time, and was admitted to have been written by mankind by its own theologians cannot be the "book of Allahu ta'ala."
In today's Holy Bible where are such things as advice, guidance, distinguishing good from evil, describing the world and the next world, consolation, etc., which are necessarily expected to be in the book of Allahu ta'ala?
In a copy of the magazine Plain Truth, dated July, 1395 (1975 A.D.), it stated: "We must confess that we cannot present a book which has enough persuasive power to influence the minds of those who are educated, but not Christian. They always cite the different Bibles which contain numerous contradictions and tell us: "You are not able to agree among yourselves. What do you want to enlighten us with?"
A Muslim gentleman having had many experiences with Christian missionaries says:
"In the year 1939, I was in charge of a commercial house called Adams Mission, which was near a Christian Seminary (priest school). I was twenty years old. From time to time, the students attending that school used to come to the place I worked and mock us, and expose to me and my Muslim friends their grudge and hatred towards the religion of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad and the Qur'an al-karim, by using the most vulgar expressions. In their opinion, the Islamic religion was a false religion and the Muslims were the most inferior creatures in the world. Since I was a sensitive man, their attacks caused me much sorrow. I could not sleep at night. I was not able to respond to them. I was not only ignorant of Christianity, but I also had little knowledge about my own religion. Because of this, I decided to study the Holy Bible and the Qur'an al-karim thoroughly to increase my knowledge of Islam and Christianity, and to read the books written about these subjects. As a result, I have been studying for forty (40) years. My greatest source of information on this matter has been the Arabic book Idharul Haq written in Istanbul by Rahmat-Allah Effendi (38), an Indian (Rahime-hullahu ta'ala). At last, after a time, the truth flashed in front of my eyes, like the sun. Henceforth, I could see and understand everything in detail. Subsequently, when those priest candidates re-approached me, they received appropriate answers and left feeling ashamed with their heads down. During the conversation, while I was giving them answers, I did not use vulgar expressions; on the contrary, as Allahu ta'ala ordered us to do, I spoke in a pleasant way, using soft words. I had examined the Holy Bible quite carefully and exposed the defects in it so effectively that they were not able to find any answers to give me. Furthermore, they were puzzled over the fact that I knew the Holy Bible better than they did. Afterwards they began to show great respect for me.
In those days, I found a book prepared by a Protestant missionary priest. The name of that book was How to Make Muslims Christian written by a missionary named Geo G.Harris. That book contains the following advice: 'It is very difficult to make Muslims Christian. Muslims respect their traditions and they are very inflexible. In order to make them Christian, it is necessary to apply these three methods:
1) The Muslims have been taught that the original Holy Bible was changed and corrupted. You should immediately ask them the questions below:
a) Have you got a copy of the real Torah and the Bible in your hand? If you have, please show it to us!
b) What sort of differences are there between today's Torah and Bible and the original ones which you claim to be true? Where are they and how many?
c) Do you think these contradictions were inserted deliberately or are they merely differences of expression?
d) Now, I shall give you a Holy Bible; show me the alterations in it.
e) How would you read this particular verse in its original form?
2) When and by whom were those verses falsified and corrupted?
3) Muslims believe that the Holy Bible we have is either a false book similar to the original one or another book written by human beings. According to the Muslims, the Bible that we have today has no connection with the actual Bible that Hadrat Jesus Christ conveyed. But, they will be confused if they are asked the questions above. Most of the Muslims are ignorant. Their opinion, which is that 'Today's Bible is not the real Bible,' is the understanding they obtained by chance, not only about the Bible, they even lack enough understanding about their own religion. When they are asked a few serious questions, they will be confused, and will not be able to find a convenient answer. Then, tell them, 'Let me give you some information on this matter' and begin to read, with a smiling face, a low voice and soft words, some attractive sections of the Holy Bible, which should be easy for them to understand. You should give them some books or brochures, free of charge, written in a clear language, which is easy to understand about the virtues of Christianity. You should never insist on their being a Christian. You should always leave time for them to think first and then make up their minds. If you act in this manner, surely, you will be able to make them Christian. At least, you will cause them to have suspicion in their brains.' " The same person continues:
"I believe that if the Muslims read my book about Christianity and today's Bible, which is published in English, they will be able to easily answer the questions above by Geo G.Harris, I myself after striving for just twenty years, have uncovered a lot of defects in today's Torah and Bible and have disclosed the fact that it has not been Allah's book. Not only me, but also Christian scientists and theologists themselves have the same conclusion. However, to be able to read the books and articles written by them, it is necessary to know foreign languages. Most of the Muslims do not speak a foreign language and they usually do not have enough money to buy expensive books. For that reason, in order to serve Muslims, I have been publishing my booklets in the languages known by Muslims and have distributed some of them as presents."
That is why we, too, are taking part in this great service of revealing the inner face of Christianity together with some Christian scientists, for the sake of our Muslim brothers.
A missionary says:
"Trying to convert the Muslims into Christians is deemed to be a very good deed by those who are either Protestant or Catholic. They say it is very difficult to make Muslims Christian. First of all, the Muslims respect their traditions immensely. However, missionaries believe the facts below can produce very good results:
1) Muslims are usually poor people. Therefore, if you give them money, presents, some goods, or if you find him a job with a Christian, surely that poor Muslims will be prompted to become a Christian.
2) Most of the Muslims are ignorant in religious and scientific matters. They have knowledge about neither the Holy Bible nor the Qur'an al-karim. They blindly practice the method of worship which was shown to them; hence, they do not understand anything and they do not know what real worshipping is. Since the majority of them do not know the Arabic language, they know nothing about the contents of the Qur'an al-karim, nor of the detailed information in the books of Islamic scholars. They recite some passages which they have memorized without knowing their meanings. As to the Holy Bible, they know nothing about it. Most of the men of religion who leads them are not Islamic scholars. They teach only how to worship. They cannot influence their students. Consequently, the Muslims brought up in this way worship as they were shown, without knowing anything about the fundamentals of their religion. Their faith has nothing to do with understanding the fundamentals of Islam. Their faith is predicated upon a stubbornness about not leaving the things that they have learned from their teachers and parents.
3) Most of the Muslims do not know another language, except their mother tongue. Let alone reading the books which were written for or against Christianity, they do not even know of the existence of such books. You should give them lots of books written in their own language which praises Christianity heavily. While giving these books, be careful that the material is simple and clear enough to be understood by them. Books which consist of complex expressions and philosophy will prove useless. They will not understand these things, and as a result of becoming bored while reading them, they will throw them away. Simple words, simple sentences and simple expressions, which are not boring, are necessary. Do not forget that the men in front of you are very primitive and their brains can only understand very simple concepts.
4) Continuously tell them: Since the Christians and the Muslims believe in Allahu ta'ala their Lord is the same. But, Allahu ta'ala accepts Christianity as the true religion. This has been clearly proven. Consider this: as you see, the richest, the most civilized, the happiest people in the world are the Christians. This is because Allahu ta'ala prefers them over the Muslims who are on the wrong path. While Islamic countries are in poverty and indigence, while they are begging for aid from the Christian countries, and while they are behind in science and technology, Christian countries have reached the highest degrees of civilization and they are continuously progressing everyday. A countless number of Muslims have been rushing to Christian countries in order to find jobs. Christians are superior to Muslims in science and technology, in trade, in industry, in short, in every field. You can see this with your own eyes. All of this indicates that Allahu ta'ala does not consider the Islamic religion a true religion. He wants to show you through this reality that it is an artificial religion. In order to punish those who left Christianity, which is the true religion, Allah will always leave them in a miserable, despicable and ruined condition."
Thus, with these untrue words, missionaries are trying to deceive Muslims in order to convert them to Christianity. Since they have a lot of money, they have been spending it mostly for this purpose. They have been striving to fascinate and corrupt the Muslims by way of establishing institutions, hospitals, free kitchens, schools, gymnasiums, amusement parks, gambling-houses and prostitution houses.
In our time by using sweet and fascinating words, Christians called "Jehovah Witnesses" are trying to deceive Muslim children in order to convert them into Christians. After publishing brochures and booklets, they mail them to addresses taken out of telephone directories. Furthermore, beautiful girls, who are smartly and carefully dressed, are giving those booklets out by going from door to door. It is stated in the latest edition of the Arabic dictionary Al-Munjid, printed in 1908 by the printing house Matba'at-ul-Catholiciyye that was established in Beirut in 1296 (1879): "The new Jehovah Witnesses sect was first introduced in the United States in 1872 by Toharls Roussel. He derived wrong interpretations from the Bible and died in 1334 (1916). Yahwa is a name referring to Allahu ta'ala, which is written in the Torah." Therefore, it is understood through this Christian book that this sect is corrupt and that the word "Jehovah" is an error. Praise be to Allahu ta'ala that the Muslims cannot be deceived by their gilded and dishonest words. On the contrary, such efforts increase the hatred and the suspicion in their hearts. All praise be to Allah, the Most High. The Muslims are not as ignorant as they suppose. Yes, forty or fifty years ago, the number of Muslims who knew one of the European languages, or who graduated from universities was quite small. But, in their place, there were elementary schools and madrasahs in every country, every city and even in every village. In those madrasahs, the astronomical, scientific and mathematical subjects of that time were being taught, as well as religious subjects. The books and curriculums of those madrasahs, left from that time, are the proofs for our explanations. It is necessary for Muslims to be competent in mathematics in order to build mosques and schools, to calculate zakat, to properly distribute inheritances, to keep accounts for companies and foundations. The parents of former times used to compete with each other in order to send their children to these schools. While registering at these madrasahs, magnificent, splendid ceremonies were held and they used to give a feast. Their gilded suits with gold and silver threads, their valuable handbags, ornamented stage coaches, and the reciting of mavlids were the means by which they expressed their esteem for knowledge. The prospects of getting an exemption from military service, or receiving an appointment to a high post for those who graduated from the madrasahs with high grades inspired the youth to rush to school. Even shepherds living in villages had a great deal of knowledge about morals and religion. This fortunate situation went on like this, until the year 1250 (1839 A.D.) when the Ottoman reformation (the law of Tanzimat) was put into effect. It had been prepared by Mustapha Rashid Pasha, who was a freemason and the minister of foreign affairs, to undermine Islam.
Today, the Muslims have hundreds of books which explain the fundamentals of the Islamic religion. What a great blessings for us that it has been an enormous honor to prepare some of these books. Our books, including this one, Islam and Christianity, are written with a simple style. We have tried to use the "sweet tongue," which is an expression used by Westerners for their Christian books. All of our books contain what the greatest scholars from Western and Eastern countries think of Islam and Christianity. We have sent some of our books all over the world after having translated them into European languages. We feel pride when we see that they have had a positive effect, not only in Turkey, but in the rest of the world as well. The letters we have been receiving from all over the world, written to thank and to express appreciation, make us forget the troubles we went through in order to prepare them. We cannot imagine a reward greater than those words written in most of the letters we have received: "By reading your books, I have learned true Islam." Every Muslim who has an opportunity to read these books can easily answer those people who ask him questions about any religion, and they will cause them to admire their knowledge on the subject.
After learning about true Islam, no one can help himself from being attracted to Islam, A Muslim who has already read my books will simply laugh at missionary propaganda. The words they utter about Christianity bringing welfare, wealth, abundance and happiness are not true. Let alone serving to develop, to civilize, and to enrich a country; on the contrary, it has been witnessed that Christianity prevented such developments during the Middle Ages. Fanatical Christians prevented progress; they deemed everything to be a sin, asserting that human beings came to this world only to suffer. They destroyed the works of the Roman and Greek scientists; they demolished the remains of the old civilizations; they darkened and ruined the world. After the appearance of Islam, and its spreading throughout the world, the works of the old civilizations were brought to light. Having been improved upon with the new discoveries developed by the Muslims, the old scientific concepts were taught again. Islamic universities were founded, industry and trade developed, and mankind attained peace and comfort. During the Middle Ages, since knowledge, science and medicine existed only in Islamic countries, Pope Silvester II attended the Andalusian Islamic University. Sancho, who was one of the Kings of Spain, consulted Muslim doctors for the treatment of his illness. The founders of the "Renaissance," which was a brilliant new period, were Muslims. Today, all those Western scientists with integrity have been admitting this reality.
The well-known German philosopher Nietzche best expressed what Christianity brought mankind:
"The wish and the doctrine of the Christians to present the world to people as ugly and bad has really made the world ugly and bad."
As to the second assertion of the missionaries, that is: "Today, Christians are wealthy, but the people of the Muslim countries are poor and miserable." It is true, but there is no connection between this fact and the religion of Islam. Anyone who is reasonable can see that if the Muslims are poor and miserable, their great religion is not at fault. The guilty ones are those who do not know the fundamentals of their religion or who, in spite of their knowledge, do not practice it. The development of the Christian world in science is not due to the Holy Bible, but it is because of their unceasing efforts, their honesty and perseverance. In reality, they have been following the Qur'an al-karim in spite of the fact that they do not believe in it. Since working, being honest, and learning as much as possible are continuously enjoined in our religion, those who do not obey these commands will certainly be punished by Allahu ta'ala. The reason why the Muslim world remained undeveloped is not because they were not Christians; on the contrary, it was because they were not perfect Muslims.
look at the Japanese! Although they are not Christian, as a result of their diligence, industriousness and honesty, they have surpassed the Germans in optics and the Americans in the automobile industry. Japan has surprised the world with its yearly car production of 5.5 million in 1985. Japanese people are living a comfortable life. They are leaders in the electronic industry, too. All of us have Japanese calculating machines in our homes. What do those lying missionaries say about this reality? Is there any connection between Christianity and Japanese bicycles, microscopes, typewriters, telescopes, and cameras all of which are widely used in the world.
We shall discuss this matter again later on, and we shall re-examine the things that devout Muslims must do.
O! Dear readers! You have already seen today's Holy Bible. We have examined this book briefly before your eyes. Surely, you have confidence in our impartiality. Now, it is time to examine the Qur'an al-karim, which is the holy book of Islam. Together, we will examine it impartially in the same way. After we finish this examination, you will see clearly, once again, which book is the word of Allahu ta'ala.
FOOTNOTES
(36) 1 bath=37 liters or approximately 40 quarts.
(37) Qastalani, passed away in Egypt in 923 (1517 A.D.).
(38) Rahmat-allah Effendi passed away in Mecca in 1306 (1889) when he was 75. His famous book Idharul Haq was printed in Egypt in 1280 (1864) and translated into many languages, including Turkish.
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06-10-2006, 08:34 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by 4-Christ-Alone
We often get questions along the lines of “Explain how these verses do not contradict!” or “Look, here is an error in the Bible!” Admittedly, some of the things people bring up are difficult to answer. However, there are viable and intellectually plausible answers to every supposed Bible contradiction and error. There are books and websites available that list “all the errors in the Bible.” Most people simply get their ammunition from these places – they do not find supposed errors on their own. There are also books and websites available that refute each and every last one of these supposed errors. The saddest thing is that most people who attack the Bible are not truly interested in an answer – all they want to do is attack. Many "Bible attackers" are even aware of the answers, but they continue to use the same old shallow attacks again and again.
No i am not attacking for fun. I simplyl want to know why the Bible claims thet trinity is non-existant.
format_quote Originally Posted by 4-Christ-Alone
If you read the Bible, at face value, without a preconceived bias for finding errors – you will find it to be a coherent, consistent, and relatively easy-to-understand book. Yes, there are difficult passages. Yes, there are verses that appear to contradict each other. We must remember that the Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of around 1500 years. Each writer wrote from a different perspective, to a different audience, for a different purpose. We should expect some differences! However, a difference is not a contradiction or an error. It is only an error if there is absolutely no conceivable manner in which the verses or passages can be reconciled. Even if we do not have the answer right now, that does not mean the answer does not exist. Many have found a supposed error in the Bible in relation to history or geography only to find out that the Bible is correct once further archaeological evidence is discovered.
It does not matter how many humans wrote the Bible, when they wrote the Bible. Because the Bible is the Words of God inspired.
format_quote Originally Posted by 4-Christ-Alone
Jesus is never recorded in the Bible as saying the exact words, “I am God.” That does not mean, however, that He did not proclaim that He is God. Take for example Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” At first glance, this might not seem to be a claim to be God. However, look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement, “We are not stoning you for any of these, replied the Jews, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). The Jews understood Jesus’ statement to be a claim to be God. In the following verses, Jesus never corrects the Jews by saying, “I did not claim to be God.” That indicates Jesus was truly saying He was God by declaring, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). John 8:58 is another example. Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!" Again, in response, the Jews take up stones in an attempt to stone Jesus (John 8:59). Why would the Jews want to stone Jesus if He hadn’t said something they believed to be blasphemous, namely, a claim to be God?
I believe you are wrong. Look at John 10 in more detail:
25Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[d]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one."
They are one in purpose. They cannot be one in being, because verse 29 says "my father is greater than all" as in 'my dad who is not me, is the best!'. Noone will pluck them out of Jesus' hand nor God's. They are one in purpose.
31Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"
33"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
We can see here that the Jews misunderstood Jesus (as usual e.g. eating his flesh).
34Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'[e]? 35If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—
John 17:20-22 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one."
So mankind is also one with God. We are not divine.
36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? 37Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." 39Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
Then he says "why do you accuse me of blamsphemy? i never said i was god. i said i was God's son". And other people have been God's sons:
Jacob is God's son and firstborn: "Israel is my son, even my firstborn" Exodus 4:22.
Solomon is God's son "He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son": 2 Samuel 7:13-14.
Ephraim is God's firstborn: "for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn." Jeremiah 31:9 (who is God's firstborn? Israel or Ephraim?).
Adam is the son of God "Adam, which was the son of God." Luke 3:38.
format_quote Originally Posted by 4-Christ-Alone
John 1:1 says that “the Word was God.” John 1:14 says that “the Word became flesh.” This clearly indicates that Jesus is God in the flesh. Acts 20:28 tells us, "...Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood." Who bought the church with His own blood? Jesus Christ. Acts 20:28 declares that God purchased the church with His own blood. Therefore, Jesus is God!
We must first know that John 1:1 is terribly translated and this universally recognised by biblical scholars:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word. He was in the beginning with the (ho theos) God."
This does not support the trinity.
format_quote Originally Posted by 4-Christ-Alone
Thomas the disciple declared concerning Jesus, “Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him.
First of all many people have been called 'lord':
Prophet Abraham:
"Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord (Abraham) being old also?"
Genesis 18:12
Esau:
"And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:"
Genesis 32:4
Joseph:
"And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him."
Titus 2:13 encourages us to wait for the coming of our God and Savior - Jesus Christ (see also 2 Peter 1:1). In Hebrews 1:8, the Father declares of Jesus, "But about the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."
And look:
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Thomas has just seen a dead man 'come back to life', and is shocked. So like people these days say "oh my God!", those days they were different. Also notice the exclamation mark on the end? This means that he is shocked.
format_quote Originally Posted by 4-Christ-Alone
In Revelation, an angel instructed the Apostle John to only worship God (Revelation 19:10). Several times in Scripture Jesus receives worship (Matthew 2:11; 14:33; 28:9,17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38). He never rebukes people for worshiping Him. If Jesus were not God, He would have told people to not worship Him, just as the angel in Revelation had. There are many other verses and passages of Scripture that argue for Jesus’ deity.
A book can explain this better:
With regard to John 9:38 "Lord. I believe, and he worshipped him." and Matthew 28:17 "they saw him, they worshipped him." Please note that the word translated as "worshipped" in both verses is the GREEK word "prosekunesan" which is derived from the root word proskuneo {pros-ku-neh'-o}. The literal meaning of this word is (and I quote): "to kiss, like a dog licking his masters hand." This word also has the general meaning of "bow, crouch, crawl, kneel or prostrate." Please check the Strong's concordance for the true meaning of this word. Is the act of kissing someone's hand the same as worshipping him? Once again, selective translation.
However, the above two verses of John and Matthew are not the only two verses of the Bible were such selective translation techniques are employed in order to impress upon the reader a chosen doctrine. For example, in the "Gospel of Matthew" the English "translation" records that Jesus was "worshipped" by Magi that came from the East (2:11); by a ruler (9:18) , by boat people (14:33), by a Canaanite woman (15:24), by the mother of the Zebedees (20:20); and by Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (28:9) to name but a very few.
Since worshipping any one other than God is a fundamental sin, therefore, the reader understands that Jesus was God since he condoned them "worshipping" him. Since Jesus (pbuh) never once in the whole Bible ever told anyone "worship me!" (as God Himself does in many places), therefore, once again, we are told that Jesus was "hinting" that he wants us to worship him. However, as we can plainly see, what the author was in fact saying in these verses is that these people "fell at Jesus' feet," or that these people "knelt before Jesus."
How then shall we interpret their "kneeling down before Jesus."? Should we understand that they were "praying" to him? Far from it! Let us ask the Bible to explain:
"And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, [upon] me [let this] iniquity [be]: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid."
1 Samuel 25:23-24
When Abigail "fell before" king David was she "worshipping" him? Was she "praying" to him? When she addressed him as "my lord," did she mean that he was her God?. Similarly,
"Then she went in, and fell at his (Elisha's) feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out."
2 Kings 4:37
"And his (Joseph's) brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we [be] thy servants."
Genesis 50:18
"And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan;"
2 Samuel 19:18
"Worship" is one of those English words which carry a double meaning. The one most popular among most people is "to pray to." This is the meaning that immediately springs into everyone's mind when they read this word. However, "worship" has another meaning. It also means "to respect," "to reverence," or "to adore" (see for example Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition). The second meaning is used more frequently in England than, for example, in the United States. However, the first remains the most popular and well known meaning in any English speaking country. Even at that, in Britain it is not at all uncommon even in this age to find the British addressing their nobles as "your worship."
What the translators have done when translating these verse is that they have "technically" translated the word correctly, however, the true meaning of this word is now completely lost.
Finally, in order to seal the proof of this matter and to dispel any lingering doubt that may remain in the reader's mind, the reader is encouraged to obtain a copy of the "New English Bible." In it they will find the translations of the quoted verses to read:
1. "bowed to the ground" (2:11);
2. "fell at his feet" (14:33);
3. "falling prostrate before him" (28:9), and
4. "fell prostrate before him" (28:17)...etc.
Please also read the translation of these verses in "The Complete Bible, an American Translation" By Edward Goodspeed and J. M. Powis Smith where they are once again honestly translated as:
1. "they threw themselves down and did homage to him" (2:11),
2. "fell down before him"(14:33),
3. "and they went up to him and clasped his feed and bowed to the ground before him" (28:9), and
4. "bowed down before him"(28:17), etc.
Once again, we remember that such sublime manipulation of the translation in order to establish with the reader a chosen doctrine was exposed by God in the noble Qur'an. The Qur'an says:
"There is among them a party who distort the Scripture with their tongues that you might think that it is from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture; and they say, 'It is from God,' but it is not from God; and they speak a lie against God, and [well] they know it!"
The Qur'an, A'al-Umran(3):78
format_quote Originally Posted by 4-Christ-Alone
The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite penalty. Only God could take on the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21), die, and be resurrected - proving His victory over sin and death
"And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion."
Mark 2:1-12
As seen in chapter one, when Paul came with his new and innovative ideas on how to improve upon the message of Jesus (pbuh), he began by dropping specific commandments. This continued until he decided that his alleged "visions" were sufficient authority to completely discard all of the commandments which both prophet Moses as well as prophet Jesus (pbut) both observed very strictly throughout their lives. The fact that both of these prophets are well known to have spent their lives commanding their followers to uphold these laws and commandments is casually brushed aside by "St. Paul." His "visions," we are told, are higher in authority than the commands of Jesus (pbuh) during his lifetime.
Once Paul was finished nullifying the law of God through Moses and Jesus and simplifying the religion for them he began to get many converts. This is because his "Christianity" only required "faith" and no actual work (Romans 3:28). But faith without work was too flimsy a concept to build one's whole way of life around. Paul needed a stupendous and monumental event to have faith IN order for his claims to be accepted by anyone. Thus the original sin and the atonement were born.
Paul claimed that God Almighty had created mankind inherently sinful and as inheritors of "the sin of Adam." He claimed that this hereditary burden was so great that the creator of all of the heavens and earth, and yes, the creator of the concepts of sin and forgiveness themselves, could not forgive this sin. This, in Paul's estimation, was beyond God's capabilities. Paul preached that the only way the creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in-between could forgive this sin was to have his sinless "only begotten son" beaten, spat on, stripped, whipped, cut, humiliated, and finally killed in the most gruesome and drawn-out way known to man at the time; by hanging on the cross, and thus becoming a curse upon mankind.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree"
Galatians 3:13:
Only then would God be able to forgive this sin.
However, if we were to read the words of Jesus (pbuh) in Mark 2:9 we would find that Jesus (pbuh) informs us that for him to tell a man that his sins are forgiven is much easier than to cure a paralytic and cause him to walk, and since Jesus (pbuh) had the power to cure paralytics, therefore, he demonstrates to us that forgiving sins is much easier for him.
However, we already know that God Almighty the "Father" of all believers
"And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven"
Matthew 23:9
We further know that God Almighty is greater in power than all humans, inluding Jesus:
"..my Father is greater than I",
John 14:28
Finally, we know that Jesus (pbuh) gets his power from God:
"I can of mine own self do nothing...,"
John 5:30
"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:"
Acts 2:22
So it stands to reason that what is easy for Jesus (pbuh) is trivial and inconsequential for God Almighty Himself. Thus, if Jesus (pbuh) can forgive sins with the utmost ease simply by uttering the words "your sins are forgiven you," then it is well within the ability of God Almighty Himself to do the same simply by willing it, even without uttering a word. Indeed, we can even read in the Bible:
"Who [is] a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth [in] mercy."
Micah 7:18
"Nevertheless, He (God), [being] full of compassion, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned He His anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For He remembered that they [were but] flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again."
Psalm 78:38-39
"I, [even] I, [am] he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."
Isaiah 43:25
Well, how then does God Almighty forgive our sins? Is He able to simply say "you are forgiven" to those who turn to Him in repentance or must He first sacrifice a sinless individual before He can do this? To get the answer let us read the Bible:
"It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin."
Jeremiah 36:3
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Isaiah 55:7
"I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."
Psalm 32:5
"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged..."
Proverbs 16:6
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
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