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WHAT DOES THE POPE KNOW ABOUT MUHAMMAD ( )?
Pope Benedict XVI said, while quoting Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, " Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached. "
{ Say (O, Muhammad ) : "O, People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh (Alone) , and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh." Then, if they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims." } [3:64]
'NEW' RIGHTEOUS AND HUMANE CONCEPTS BROUGHT
BY PROPHET MUHAMMAD ( )
RE-ESTABLISHING MONOTHEISM
•The Old Testament affirms Monotheism
•The New Testament affirms Monotheism
•Centuries after the Messiah Jesus Christ (u) ascended to heaven alive, a new creed, the Trinity, arose among those who called themselves 'Christians'.
GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE ORIGINAL SIN
•The Old Testament did not clearly speak of mankind inheriting Adam's sin, just as it did not speak of Trinity.
•Prophet `Esa (Jesus u) never spoke of Original Sin or of his mission to die on the cross as expiation for Original Sin.
• Allah sent His Prophet Muhammad ( ) to deliver glad tidings to mankind about His Infinite Mercy and Justice.
WAS 'THE ORIGINAL SIN' FORGIVEN?
•The Old Testament reports Adam's sin, but does not dwell on the notion of Original Sin.
• The New Testament does not say that Adam & Eve were forgiven.
•Prophet Muhammad ( ) brought the glad tidings that 'Original Sin' was forgiven.
MUHAMMAD'S GOOD NEWS ABOUT `ESA (JESUS U)
• The New Testament conveyed several types of news about Jesus, his mother, his mission, his fate and how he was received by Jews.
•Allah sent Prophet Muhammad ( ) with different types of news regarding these issues about which mankind disputes.
DENYING ANY SHORTCOMING WITH REGARDS TO ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTES
•The Old Testament accused Allah (I), Creator of everything, of falling into different types of shortcomings and errors.
•The New Testament described Allah (I) with various shortcomings, some of which more serious than any claim the Old Testament ever made about the Creator of everything.
•The Quran revealed to mankind the qualities of the One and Only Creator of everything.
WORSHIPPING IDOLS AND IMAGES
•The Old Testament rejects idol and image worship and commands this: they should be utterly destroyed.
•The New Testament rejects idol and image worship.
•Allah (I) sent His Prophet Muhammad ( ) to convey to mankind the news that polytheism, including image and idol worship, is the greatest injustice and the gravest of all sins.
DEFENDING THE HONOR & PURIFYING THE IMAGE OF ALLAH'S PROPHETS
•The Old Testament contains terrible slander of ancient Prophets, accusing them of deceit, sexual misconduct, horrible crimes and dying while disbelievers.
•The New Testament did not purify the image of Allah's Prophets.
•Only the Quran, revealed to Prophet Muhammad ( ), defended the honor of Allah's Prophets and purified their image from the horrible slander made against them in the Two Testaments.
TREATMENT OF NON-COMBATANTS IN WAR
•It is not possible that 'the Lord' could have revealed these commandments in the Old Testament…
•The New Testament did not directly and clearly annul these commandments.
•Will modern-day Christians condemn these texts & consider them terroristic, evil and inhuman?
•Allah sent Prophet Muhammad ( ) as a mercy for all of mankind; he ( ) corrected the evil additions to the Old Testament.
COMPULSION IN RELIGION
•The Old Testament was written by and about the Jews, about their history, battles, kings, the count of their tribes, families, sheep and cattle, and about servitude to the Jews.
•The New Testament did not offer clear guidance with regards to compulsion in religion.
• The Quran, revealed to Prophet Muhammad (r), outlaws compulsion in religion.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
•The Old Testament orders the destruction of the lives and properties of combatants and non-combatants and reports how ancient prophets allegedly carried out these commandments.
•The New Testament says nothing about the violent commandments contained in the Hebrew Bible.
•Muhammad, ( ), the Prophet of Mercy annulled these actions, which Allah (I) did not reveal, His Prophets did not receive or fulfill, and His Prophet Jesus (u) did not condone.
SURRENDER TO SLAVERY, OR DEATH!
• The Old Testament gives only two choices to combatant enemies: slavery, or death.
• The New Testament did not annul these edicts.
• Muhammad ( ) established the balanced, best way to deal with aggressive enemy combatants who seek to harm Islam & Muslims.
AND THEY CALL ISLAM 'VIOLENT'!
•The Old Testament: "Joshua drew not his hand back…until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai." [Joshua 8:24-26]
•The New Testament did not criticize these reports, nor considered them evil or inhumane.
•Who said: "I am now as before a Catholic, will always remain so"?
MUHAMMAD ( ), THE PROPHET OF MERCY ESTABLISHED THE ISLAMIC STATE FOR MUSLIMS AND UNITED THE ARABS UNDER THE BANNER OF ISLAM WITH FAR LESS VIOLENCE THAN THE ENEMIES OF ISLAM FALSELY CLAIM.
• The Ghazawat, the Battles that the Prophet ( ) led.
• The Saraya, or the battles that the Prophet ( ) did not lead.
•Count of all deaths during the ten years the Prophet ( ) spent in Madinah before he died.
•Considerably far fewer non-combatants died during all of these battles combined.
•The Children of Israel, mighty men of valour!
ANIMAL RIGHTS
• OT often ordered the killing of animals, especially donkeys.
•Centuries before Europe added the concept to its dictionary, Muhammad ( ), the Prophet of Mercy, established an unsurpassed code of humane conduct with animals.
BETWEEN INHERITING WOMEN AND GRANTING THEM INHERITANCE
•The OT did not clearly institute women's rights to inheritance.
•The NT did not clearly institute women's rights to inheritance.
•The Quran legislates a fixed amount of inheritance that is an everlasting right for women.
WA`DU AL-BANAT (BURYING FEMALE CHILDREN ALIVE)BELIEVING WOMEN ARE PROMISED THEIR FULL REWARDS IN PARADISEON RIBA (USURY)
• The OT banned various elements of usury.
•The NT did not annul the prohibition of dealing in usury.
•Allah sent Prophet Muhammad ( ) to prohibit usury for Muslims.
ALL OF MANKIND CAME FROM ADAM,
AND ADAM WAS CREATED FROM TURAB (DUST; SOIL)
•Latter parts of the NT continued the tradition of elevating Israelites above other humans, declared an Israelite to be God.
•Allah (I) sent Muhammad ( ) to assert mankind's unity in origin.
OUTLAWING RAHBANIYYAH (MONASTICISM)
• Centuries after Christianity invented the practice of celibacy for Christian monks and nuns, Islam annulled this practice.
•Islam Ordains Monotheism, Prayer, Fasting, Charity, Honor, Honesty, Decency and the Best Code of Conduct.
By Jalal Abualrub
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