Arguably, Jesus is perhaps the man to have captured the interest of the greatest amount of people - from many different religions and none.
There is just something about him, which seems difficult to resist.
(Unlike Bruce Campbell perhaps. Although, genetically speaking, Campbell is of course entirely unique. But so are you and me.)
Out of interest, why Bruce Campbell, Qingu? Are you a particular fan? Or is the choice purely random??
Peace
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
Arguably, Jesus is perhaps the man to have captured the interest of the greatest amount of people - from many different religions and none.
There is just something about him, which seems difficult to resist.
(Unlike Bruce Campbell perhaps. Although, genetically speaking, Campbell is of course entirely unique. But so are you and me.)
Out of interest, why Bruce Campbell, Qingu? Are you a particular fan? Or is the choice purely random??
Peace
Perhaps because of the Jew's rejection of him and the Christian's deification of him?
He was a great Prophet with many miracles but....
The actions of the those that accepted him/rejected him is why he is so popular.
It is at his time that the roots of the three great religions took hold. If that had not been so, it would not have been as interesting.
It is the lack of and contradicting information about him that is also most interesting.
If you want to talk about the most influential person in history,
Well he is (Peace be upon him) unique cuz he never had a father to begin with... =D
" Its sometimes better people don't get to know you..
Cuz the more they know you, the less they understand & accept you..
Alone is better, what say " - SRK
I really don't mean to enter into a debate about who is greater - Jesus or Muhammed.
What I meant was that Jesus is well liked and respected by people of many religions and none. His person, his life-style and his teachings are not something that leaves people cold.
The fact that he is so much debated and discussed shown that quite well.
I am sure that Muhammed is a well-respected and much liked person too. The Muslim habit of copying him in detail is very interesting, and is certainly not something Jesus seemed to expect from his followers.
Salaam
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
No other figure in history has been so well known, successful and mimicked in every minute detail than him.
I was just about posting this, jazak allah khair brother
and actually its interesting thing to be written from a christian author to consider prophet Mohammed as the most influential person in history
while he considered Jesus Peace be upon him in the third place
but we as a muslims dont give Michael H. Hart that much consideration in his ranking because all of the prophets are equal, no one is better than the others
Each one believeth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers - We make no distinction between any of His messengers
[1:285]
I really don't mean to enter into a debate about who is greater - Jesus or Muhammed.
What I meant was that Jesus is well liked and respected by people of many religions and none. His person, his life-style and his teachings are not something that leaves people cold.
The fact that he is so much debated and discussed shown that quite well.
I am sure that Muhammed is a well-respected and much liked person too. The Muslim habit of copying him in detail is very interesting, and is certainly not something Jesus seemed to expect from his followers.
Salaam
Glo, everything you said goes for Prophet Muhammad pbuh too.
It is Michael H. Hart's opinion that Prophet Muhammad was the most influential person in history...his opinion does not hold true for everyone though.
It is not his "authority" I appeal to but the points he raises.
1. Every word of the Quran is law.
2. Every action of the Prophet pbuh is imitated
3. An entirely new legal system was founded by the Quran
4. Biographies and historical information is so abundant that Prophet Muhammad pbuh is the most well known Prophet of all time. As opposed to the controversies and ambiguities surrounding the ministry of Isa pbuh and the complete lack of info about his life before he preached.
5. for further points visit this site
I really don't mean to enter into a debate about who is greater - Jesus or Muhammed.
[I]What I meant was that Jesus is well liked and respected by people of many religions and none. His person, his life-style and his teachings are not something that leaves people cold.
I disagree. If the real Jesus resembles the character of the gospels (which is probably a stretch), he leaves me plenty cold and I have little respect for him.
He was a cultist who told his followers to leave behind their friends and families to join them. Yes, he had some good moral lessons, which were a nice antidote from the insanity of Phariseic Jewish thought at the time. But plenty of Jews, as well as Greeks and Romans, had a peaceful philosophy of life as well. Many of Jesus' teachings are silly, impractical, or worse. In addition, Jesus constantly threatened his followers with hellfire and torture, and compares them to slaves and children with respect to an imaginary deity.
Unless the real Jesus was somehow a hippie like some leftists claim, I'm not a fan of the guy. Of course, it's difficult to know what the man actually thought, since the gospels were all written decades after he died by highly sectarian zealots.
Out of interest, why Bruce Campbell, Qingu? Are you a particular fan? Or is the choice purely random??
I think it's because of the cross. Jesus got crucified. So did Spartacus. And I've always had this idea that Bruce Campbell should play Spartacus in a sequel, Spartacus II: The Roman Empire Strikes Back. It starts where the first movie left off, with Spartacus hanging on the cross and his girlfriend going off with the slaver dude. But then Spartacus busts off the cross, beats up the Roman guards, and starts fighting the Empire again. Eventually he takes down Crassus and rescues Verinia, after fighting ninjas.
I disagree. If the real Jesus resembles the character of the gospels (which is probably a stretch), he leaves me plenty cold and I have little respect for him.
He was a cultist who told his followers to leave behind their friends and families to join them. Yes, he had some good moral lessons, which were a nice antidote from the insanity of Phariseic Jewish thought at the time. But plenty of Jews, as well as Greeks and Romans, had a peaceful philosophy of life as well. Many of Jesus' teachings are silly, impractical, or worse. In addition, Jesus constantly threatened his followers with hellfire and torture, and compares them to slaves and children with respect to an imaginary deity.
Care to share a quote from Christ in which He threatens His followers with hellfire and torture? Sure, dying in sin is thought to be the path to spiritual death, meaning Hell, but I'm curious which of Christ's sayings led you to this conclusion.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
Care to share a quote from Christ in which He threatens His followers with hellfire and torture? Sure, dying in sin is thought to be the path to spiritual death, meaning Hell, but I'm curious which of Christ's sayings led you to this conclusion.
Dont worry Keltoi, atheists always accuse the Prophets of threatening people whenever they inform the masses about the reality of paradise and hell. It is a reality check not a threat.
Care to share a quote from Christ in which He threatens His followers with hellfire and torture? Sure, dying in sin is thought to be the path to spiritual death, meaning Hell, but I'm curious which of Christ's sayings led you to this conclusion.
Mark 13. Many of the parables also are clearly threats. They characterize God as a slaveowner and humans as slaves, who had better be good, obedient slaves or the slaveowner will torture them and/or kill them when he gets back.
Dont worry Keltoi, atheists always accuse the Prophets of threatening people whenever they inform the masses about the reality of paradise and hell. It is a reality check not a threat.
Actually, I'd call it an "empty threat."
Sort of like if I said, "If you don't give me $1,000 over Paypal right now, Space Emperor Zargon will abduct you in the middle of the night and torture you for hours before erasing your memories and returning you to your bed."
Mark 13. Many of the parables also are clearly threats. They characterize God as a slaveowner and humans as slaves, who had better be good, obedient slaves or the slaveowner will torture them and/or kill them when he gets back.
Actually, I'd call it an "empty threat."
Sort of like if I said, "If you don't give me $1,000 over Paypal right now, Space Emperor Zargon will abduct you in the middle of the night and torture you for hours before erasing your memories and returning you to your bed."
Or instead disbelievers are arrogant fools who constantly reject Allah and spread lies in the world while masquerading as "good"? They are unthankful for their life and complain about just punishment?
24 And they say: There is naught but our life of the world; we die and we live, and naught destroyeth us save time; when they have no knowledge whatsoever of (all) that; they do but guess.
25 And when Our clear revelations are recited unto them their only argument is that they say: Bring (back) our fathers. then, if ye are truthful.
26 Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Allah giveth life to you, then causeth you to die, then gathereth you unto the Day of Resurrection whereof there is no doubt. But most of mankind know not.
Mark 13. Many of the parables also are clearly threats. They characterize God as a slaveowner and humans as slaves, who had better be good, obedient slaves or the slaveowner will torture them and/or kill them when he gets back.
Well, there is truth to this, as if you are a Christian then you are a slave to righteousness, but if you are in anything else then you are a slave to sin.
There is no other or has there ever been a man on the face of the earth like Jesus.
Interesting thread. I don't intend to start a debate here, but the following is the only thing I intend to contribute:
{O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about God except the truth..}[Qur'an: 4:171]
format_quote Originally Posted by SAYA
but we as a muslims dont give Michael H. Hart that much consideration in his ranking because all of the prophets are equal, no one is better than the others
I agree with your position on Hart's ranking. I don't really believe that the ranking carries any weight. However, I have to point out that this is an incorrect understanding of the verse sister because Allaah says elsewhere in the same surah: "Those messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others. Among them were those to whom Allah spoke, and He raised some of them in degree." Some Messengers are in higher ranks than others, such as the Messengers of great determination (ulul 'azam) as mentioned by Allaah in the last verse of Surah al-Ahqaf. The verse you quoted refers to those people that believe in some Messengers and disbelieve in others thus causing a distinction between them as Allaah says in surah an-Nisa: "Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to discriminate between Allah and His messengers and say, "We believe in some and disbelieve in others," and wish to adopt a way in between -" Not making a distinction between them refers to believing in all the Prophets and Messengers from Adam (alayhis salam) to the final Messenger Muhammad (salalahu 'alayhi wa sallam) as Allaah says two ayaat later in the same surah: "But they who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not discriminate between any of them..". Hope that clears this up.
“Do not argue with your Lord on behalf of your soul, rather argue with your soul on behalf of your Lord.” - Dhul-Nun
"It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness." - Victor Frankl
There is no other or has there ever been a man on the face of the earth like Jesus.
Ofcourse there was no man like him on earth. There was only one Jesus.
He was a special man. A very special man. If only he was given the priviledge of keeping the image of a man. He is now the image of a confusing blur of ghostly divinity.
"'Cause I hear the whispered words
In your masterpiece beautiful
You speak the unspeakable through
I love you too"
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks