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The Quran teaches that Allah has never left any group of isolated people, civilization or a nation without a Messenger from Him. As we see this in (16:36), that God had:

" For We assuredly sent amongst every people a Messenger, (with a command) serve Allah and eschew (avoid) Evil"

In many palaces in the Quran, God refers to Himself as "We", this is not to indicate any form of plurality. The word "We" in the English dictionary, as well as many other languages, could be used for "I" when the speaker is a king, an emperor or a president. Also, an author who is speaking of his publication can use the word "we".

Thus, Islam or the Way of Self-Surrender to God, was taught by all Prophets whether their race was Jewish, Chinese, African, Greek, or Aztec. Accordingly, Moses, who is regarded as the pivotal figure in Judaism, and Jesus, who is the central personality of Christianity, both taught Islam to their peoples. The teachings of these great Messengers of God did not go unchanged, however, over the centuries, and one can find that many practices, beliefs and customs practiced by the adherents of those faiths today differ from the original purity of their founder's Message. Muhammad (peace be up on him), simply brought the last installment of Self-Surrender (Islam) to the world in order to correct earlier corruption in humanity's knowledge of the truth.

Some may wonder how could have Moses or Jesus (peace be up on them) taught Islam while everybody knows that they taught Judaism and Christianity? The answer becomes clear when we try to find the meaning of these two words: Jew and Christian, where did they come from.

Many of us also know that foreigners to the Israelite tribes gave the name "Judaism or Jews", at the time when "Judah" represented the entire Israelites, after the fall of the Northern Kingdom. Judah was the forefather of one of the tribes and one of Israel's (Jacob’s) sons. Which simply means that "Jews" was a "given name" to the Israelites before Moses's (pbuh) time. So, what was the name of the religion Moses (pbuh) ORIGINALLY taught his followers?

Also, it is known as well that the name Christian was a "given name", first by the people of Antioch, which was at a time later than the time of Jesus Christ (pbuh), and that all the other names (Catholic etc.) were introduced much later for one reason or another. Since the names Christian, Catholic etc. were given names after the time of Jesus (pbuh) and that -for years- Jesus (pbuh) taught his followers valuable teachings about right and wrong and obeying the commandments of God, then, what was the name of the religion he ORIGINALLY taught his followers?

Knowing now that according to the Quran, every group of people have had a Messenger -see (16:36) above, that will explain how ancient civilizations were made aware of God’s laws about right and wrong. That also will explain why some prophecies of ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs and the Mayans were true prophecies. According to the Quran, Allah has told them through their Messengers these prophecies sometime in the past.

Knowing now that God sent a Messenger to every corner of the earth -At a certain time, is it possible that He sent them with different "Messages"?

The Quran gives the answer clearly, but first, let us think about it, will it be possible for the One God to send different Messengers to teach totally different Messages? Could one of them bring a set of laws to mankind, which is supposed to improve our lives, and teach that the way to go to Heaven is by following God's commandments and laws as humanly as possible. Then another Messenger teaches to follow a totally different law?

The Quran teaches that all the Messengers have taught the same "Message":

"The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - that which We have sent by inspiration to thee. And that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus…" (42:13)

According to the Quran, from the above verse and others as well, all the teachings "originally" were "The same"!

Which will explain why we may find in other references, beside the Quran and the Hadith, that all of the Messengers (like Abraham, Moses and Jesus pbut), and those who followed them. When it came to worshipping and praying to God, every one of them did "fall on his face and worshipped".

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Q9-How should Muslims treat Jews and Christians?

The Qur’an calls them "People of the Book", i.e., those who received Divine scriptures before Muhammad (P). Muslims are told to treat them with respect and justice and do not fight with them unless they initiate hostilities or ridicule their faith. The Muslims ultimate hope is that they all will join them in worshipping one God and submit to His will. "Say (O Muhammad): O people of the Book (Jews and Christians) come to an agreement between us and you, that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall take no partners with Him, and none of us shall take others for Lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are those who have surrendered (unto Him)." (Qur’an 3:64)

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Q10-If the roots of Judaism and Christianity are basically the same as Islam, why does Islam seem so exotic and strange?

The problem is two-fold. On the one hand, there are people in the world who claim to be Muslim, but who do not follow the ethical or religious teachings of the faith. Unfortunately the media has a universal fascination with negative news and a reluctance to highlight the positive. On the other hand, much of what we read and learn about Islam in the West is written, interpreted and presented by those who either know very little about Islam and the Muslim world, or who are even hostile towards them.

An even more important area of misunderstanding lies in the basic assumptions about religion that the Western world and the Islamic world make. Because of the West's negative experience with religion, an alternate ideology known as secular-humanism came to be established to allow science, rationalism and free-thought to flourish. Islamic civilization, in contrast, never impeded science nor the development of human thought so a break between secular values and religious ones never occurred. This is why Islam is often mislabeled "Theocratic." Education and improvements in global awareness, however, are slowly wearing down barriers to understanding, but it will require some effort from all of us to finally reach a point of tolerance and mutual good will.

Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion does not dominate everyday life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always uppermost in their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred. They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari'a, should be taken very seriously, which is why issues related to religion are still so important.

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Q11-Why Muslims reject or hate Jesus Christ the Son of God? What do Muslims believe about Jesus (pbuh)? What does Islam and the Quran teach about Jesus (pbuh), THE ORIGINAL SIN AND TRINITY?

One of the famous misconceptions about Islam is that Muslims don’t believe in Jesus (pbuh). However, this is not true, many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that according to Muslim belief, Jesus, the son of Mary, is one of the greatest messengers of God. Muslims are taught to love Jesus, and a person cannot be a Muslim without believing in the virgin birth and miracles of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him.

Muslims believe these things about Jesus not because of the Bible or any other religion, but simply because the Holy Quran says these things about him. In fact, according to the Islamic tradition, Jesus Christ (pbuh) performed more miracles than those found in any other records. Also to Muslims, Christ's childhood (pbuh) was never an ordinary one. Even as an infant, only the Quran teaches that, in the record of Jesus (pbuh), he spoke while he was a baby (19:27-29). The Quran also teaches that Jesus (PBUH) was born miraculously through the same power which had brought Adam (PBUH) into being without a father: "Truly, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then said to him, 'Be!' and he was." (Quran 3:59) which is almost the same similarity explained by the Bible in Luke (3:38): "…the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. As Muslims, we believe that Jesus (pbuh) spoke to the Jews in the same language they understood, that they are the children of God that’s why he too would be one, as he said: "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (John 20:17), which we find almost word for word in the Quran, as Jesus (pbuh) in the day of Judgment testifying that he taught his followers only to: 'worship God, my Lord and your Lord';(5:117).

The choice of Mary (pbuh) –the mother of Jesus (pbuh) is also recorded in the Quran. Interestingly, only the Quran has the record of her own birth and that of her parents as well.

However, Muslims always emphasize that the miracles of Jesus, and all other prophets, were by "God's permission". having been said, many Christians feel to not believe that Jesus is the "Son of God", "God Incarnate" or the "Third Person" of the Trinity. This is because the Qur'an clearly says that Almighty God does not have a "Son" --- neither allegorically, physically, metaphorically or metaphysically.

The Pure Monotheism of Islaam rejects the notion of "defining" God (which is basically what the "Doctrine of the Trinity" does), saying that someone is "like" God or equal to him, or praying to someone else besides God. Also, Islaam teaches that titles such as "Lord" and "Savior" are due to God alone. Additionally, Christian doctrines such as the original sin, Trinity and the Atonement are criticized by Muslims precisely because they did not originate from Jesus, (peace be upon him) In this way, Muslims are the true followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, because they defend him from the exaggerations of the Christians and teach the Pure Monotheism that Jesus (peace be upon him) himself followed.

As for the original sin, the Quran teaches that out of God's mercy towards mankind, He did not leave Adam (pbuh) without any kind of forgiveness or guidance. So He gives Adam (pbuh) what we may call "first law" (2:37): "Then learnt Adam from his Lord certain words, and his Lord pardoned him". Adam (pbuh) was given first word or first law, for guidance and for forgiveness. Thus Islam teaches that starting with first generation on Earth, Adam (pbuh) had a law about right and wrong -not to kill and so on, and learnt how to repent, and Allah forgave him. The Quran also teaches that "On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns. And it suffers every ill that it earns" (2:286) meaning that one can't be responsible for the action of his father, mother or anybody else.

If you own a car and need it to get to work it is important to you. But if your child becomes ill and you have to sell your car to cure your child, you would be doing something reasonable. Your child is more important, dearer, valuable or beloved to you than your car, so you sacrifice the car to save your child. To accept that God sacrifice himself, his only son or a anything else for the whole world, it will have to mean that God loves the world more than He loves Himself, his son or whatever he chooses to sacrifice. From the logical point of view, it unreasonable to accept that He would sacrifice something of MORE VALUE for that which is LESS VALUABLE.

As for the Trinity which suggests that Jesus (pbuh) was God or equal with God, the Quran teaches that Jesus (pbuh) in the day of Judgment testifying that he taught his followers only to: 'worship God, my Lord and your Lord';(5:117).

There are many places in the Bible itself where we can see Jesus (pbuh) worshipping God and indicating that Jesus (pbuh) had a different will than that of God himself: "And he (Jesus pbuh) went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39). Again we find Jesus (pbuh) referring to God as: "my Father is greater than I" (John 14:28).

Muslims revere Jesus (pbuh) and the Quran prophecies that he will return (43:61). According to the Qur’an, he was not crucified but was raised into Heaven. (4:157-158).

In order to avoid misunderstanding, it should be clarified that when Muslims criticize the Bible or the teachings of Christianity, they are not criticizing "God's Word" or Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. In fact, from the Muslim point of view, they are defending Jesus and God's Word, which they have in the form of the Quran. MUSLIMS REJECT THE FALSE IMAGE OF JESUS (PBUH) which has evolved under the influence of the Greco-Roman culture, mythology and philosophy and projected by some religions. But WE ACCEPT THE TRUE JESUS (PBUH) who is found in the Quran and also the same true Jesus (pbuh) one can find in the Bible if he examine it carefully and sincerely.

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Q11.1-If Jesus (pbuh) is not the savior for Muslims, why do Muslims believe that Jesus is coming back?

In order to answer your question about his return, I'd like to share with you that what Muslims belief about Jesus (pbuh) and what happened on the cross, and of course why he is coming back, depends on two things:

First: The source where we get the information about Jesus (pbuh).

Second: The reason why Jesus (pbuh) is coming back.

The source:

Whatever anybody believes about Jesus Christ peace be up on him is depending on the scriptures in his or her hand. The scriptures stand as a letter from God to us. For one to believe that that letter had come from God, and only from God, there have to be proofs in that letter to indicate that nobody else could have been the true author but God. If we don’t seek proofs of the authenticity of the scriptures, that means we must accept any scriptures that are given to us by anybody, and consider it to be true scriptures, if we do so, we would believe with "a blind faith", and nothing more than "a blind faith". It is only reasonable that we try to reason things out and to try to prove all things. Once we conclude that this scriptures or that could have not come from anybody but God, then all what it says whether it is about Jesus (pbuh) or anything else becomes a fact.

The Quran has survived for about 1430 years today without a single change and there is only one Quran with the same 114 chapters, with a total of 6236 verses. Who could have kept the Quran from corruption all these years after the death of Muhammad (pbuh) and after Islam and Quran have spread to so many countries with their own different leaders except God himself? This is an important proof that God had sent this Book and kept it traceable, remain untouchable, non-revisable or unchangeable by anybody after the Messenger who received it for all those who wish to find out what He said.

There are many other proofs that the Quran was not the work of Muhammad (pbuh) himself, such as the History of the Quran as Scriptures, its teachings, the language and so on. Our article: Science in Islam and in the Quran, how did Muhammad know? Can be an excellent proof that Muhammad (pbuh) could not on his own, in the middle of the Arabian Desert have been able to find out all the scientific facts found in the Quran.

Jesus not only called people to this message but he also practically demonstrated it for them by bowing down in prayer and worshipping God himself. In Mark 14:32, it states: "And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he [Jesus] said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I pray.' " And in Luke 5:16, "But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed."

The reason:

We believe that Jesus (pbuh) is coming back because of many reasons, here are some;

FIRST: As a prophecy in the Quran indicating the end of time: As I explained above, we have many reasons or proofs to prove that the Quran is the pure word of God. Because of that, the prophecy about Jesus (pbuh) coming at the end of time is a fact to us, as we read: "And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment). Therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way. (Chapter 43: verse 61)

SECOND: To correct the doctrines some teach in his name: Jesus (pbuh) called for one and only one God who is Greater than anybody else, as he said: ("my Father is greater than I" John 14:28). Jesus (pbuh) was very particular about worshipping only the One God as we find In (Luke 3:8) when the Devil asks Jesus to worship him, promising him the authority and glory of all of the kingdoms of this world: "And Jesus answered him, 'It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.' " Thus, the essence of the message of Jesus was that only God deserves to be worshipped and that the worship of anyone or anything besides God or along with God is false. Jesus (pbuh) called them to worship the one true God who is unique in His qualities. God does not have the attributes of His creation, nor does any creature share any of His attributes. In Matthew 19:16-17, when a man called Prophet Jesus (pbuh) 'good', saying, "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Prophet Jesus (pbuh) replied, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." He denied the attribution of 'infinite goodness' or 'perfect goodness' to himself, and affirmed that this attribute belongs to God alone.

The Quran also teaches that Jesus (PBUH) was born miraculously through the same power which had brought Adam (PBUH) into being without a father: "Truly, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then said to him, 'Be!' and he was." (Quran 3:59) which is almost the same similarity explained by the Bible in Luke (3:38): "…the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. As Muslims, we believe that Jesus (pbuh) spoke to the Jews in the same language they understood, that they are the children of God that’s why he too would be one, as he said: "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (John 20:17), which we find almost word for word in the Quran, as Jesus (pbuh) in the day of Judgment testifying that he taught his followers only to: 'worship God, my Lord and your Lord';(5:117).

THIRD: to teach those who deny; worship only God: The Quran teaches that we can't take anybody or anything as equal with God: "Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah): They love them as they should love Allah. But those of (true) Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah. (2:165). Jesus did not condone the pagan practice of making images of God. He upheld the prohibition mentioned in the Torah Exodus 20 verse 4: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." And also: Isaiah 43:11 "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior." These are the same teachings Jesus (pbuh) taught his followers as you see in the above examples where he taught to worship only God. Not only that, but he demonstrated exactly how to, in the way he worshipped God

FOURTH: To correct the way to worship God: Many are CLAIMING that we can worship God in any way, yet the truth is, all the Messengers of God have worshipped Him the same way. The Quran (16:36) states that God: "sent amongst every people a Messenger". All the Messengers of the SAME GOD had to teach their followers ORIGINALLY exactly the same "Message", otherwise, these Messengers would have been sent by different (Gods) and not by the SAME One. In the Quran also we find: "The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah -that which We have sent by inspiration to thee. And that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus…" (42:13). For Muslims, following the teachings Muhammad (pbuh) is following the same religion that God has sent His Messengers, as stated in the verse above. Muhammad (pbuh) taught his followers how to worship God, which is the way you see Muslims in their prayers bowing and prostrating to God. Since you are familiar with the Bible, let us see how these great Messengers worshipped God according to the records found in the Bible:

(Genesis 17:3): "And Abraham fell on his face: and God talked with him…"

(Numbers 20:6): "And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces."

(Joshua 5:14): "And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship."

(Job 1:20) "Then Job arose,…, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped"

The Bible also shows Jesus (pbuh) worshipping and praying to God (Matthew 26:36): "Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. How did Jesus (pbuh) worship and pray to God? The way that he (Jesus -pbuh) did so is only two verses later: "And he (Jesus) went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible…" (Mat. 26:39)

FIFTH: To remind those who don’t follow the law (Sharia'a in Islam): As I understand, you are a very sincere and devoted person and you try to do as much right as you can. Yet there are many who believe that it doesn’t matter whether you do the right things or not, they will enter Heaven any way because Jesus (pbuh) paid for them. This is a very curtail point, if God sent us a law that organizes our lives and make us better people and told us by all his Messengers to Follow and to keep, then how is it that he is expecting us not to follow? Does that mean that those who believe that Jesus (pbuh) paid for their sins are free to kill and steal? I'm sure your answer is NO. Remember Jesus (pbuh) taught: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew (5:19-20). The Quran describes the day of Judgment: "…he whose balance (of good deeds) will be (found) heavy. Will be in a life of good pleasure and satisfaction. But he whose balance (of good deeds) will be (found) light. Will have his home in a (bottomless) Pit. And what will explain to thee what this is? (It is) a Fire Blazing fiercely! (101: 6-11)

LASTLY: "Every soul shall have a taste of death" this is God's promise in the Quran (3.185) and according to our source, which we have reasons (not a blind faith) to believe it is authentic, the Quran teaches about Jesus (pbuh): "That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of God";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not. Nay, God raised him up unto Himself; and God is Exalted in Power, Wise" (4:157-158). So the last reason I have for you is: to die, since he has not yet.

Understanding what happened on the cross, no doubt, is a main turning point. It will cause one to turn to the right direction or the wrong one. Many believe Jesus (pbuh) was crucified for one or both of these reasons: To pay for the Original sin and or to pay for our sins. When reading the details about what happened in the Bible, I get some questions. Yet when the story is understood according to the Islamic tradition, I get to understand better, here is what I mean:

When reading the details in the Bible:

Believing in inheriting the original sin, makes me wonder:" The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Ezekiel 18:19-20 ". And "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his OWN sin." Deuteronomy 24:16. According to the Bible, also: "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 19:14 (also Mark 10:14, and Luke 18:16). This will have to mean that children are born sinless and that's how the kingdom of God. Many suggest that the children are sinless because they DON’T KNOW, but could that be what Jesus (pbuh) meant? In the kingdom of God everybody is a sinner but they DON’T KNOW?

Believing in inheriting the original sin, means that Adam (pbuh) had children, and as the only adult, must have taught them that they are distant to hell as we read: "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5:14). Otherwise, what did Adam have to teach his children and the children of their children, and where could you find that?"

Believing that we inherit the original sin means that the sin of Adam (pbuh) was so great that God could not forgive it by simply willing it, rather it was necessary to erase it with the blood of a sinless innocent man named Jesus. Accordion to this, GOD IN THE BIBLE CAN'T FORGIVE WITHOUT A PRICE…!?

If you own a car and need it to get to work it is important to you. But if your child becomes ill and you have to sell your car to cure your child, you would be doing something reasonable. Your child is more important, dear, valuable or beloved to you than the car, so you sacrifice the car to save your child. To accept that God sacrifice himself, his only son or a anything else for the whole world it will have to mean that God loves the world more than He loves Himself, his son or whatever he chooses to sacrifice. From the logical point of view, it unreasonable to accept that He would sacrifice something of MORE VALUE for that which is LESS VALUABLE.

What right did the prophets of God have to deceive their people and tell them that they would receive eternal salvation and expiation from their sins if they but kept the commandments? What right did they have to teach them all of these commandments and the observance of the Sabbath and other hardships if all of their works were worthless and belief in Jesus' sacrifice which would not occur till many thousands of years after their death was the only way to salvation, or as Paul put it: "a man is not justified by the works of the law ... for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.." (Galatians 2:16). Why did all the Messengers assured their followers that following the law and doing righteousness means they would have eternal life? I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew (5:19-20) and "But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die." (Ezekiel 18:21)

According to the Bible, Jesus (pbuh) was sent to be crucified as atonement for the sins of the world. Yet, Does that mean that those who believe that Jesus (pbuh) paid for their sins are free to kill and steal? This could not be the message of Jesus (pbuh), could it? If we still have to do good deeds, then what does the crucifixion means?

How is it that Jesus (pbuh) was sent to be crucified, as this was the main job for him, his work which he was sent for -the crucifixion- and yet he said before the crucifixion: "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4). Did he mean to teach them about the law? They already knew the law, otherwise why was Jesus (pbuh) quoting from the old scriptures?

Jesus (pbuh) has performed many miracles, taught in the temples and travel around for at least three years, maybe more, but he was a famous man. Yet when they come to take him to die, they did not know him and they had to hire Judas to identify him? "Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.(Matthew 26: 48)

How is it that Jesus (pbuh) was sent to be crucified, yet he asked God to not to be crucified? "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39)…As Muslims we could not accept that a Messenger of the magnetite of Jesus (pbuh) would think to ask God for something of the weak human nature, for this would make him…not Jesus (pbuh)

How is it that Jesus (pbuh) was sent to be crucified, and supposed to have understood everything that is about to happen. All the details must have been told to him yet he cried: " Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46) did he not know what was God going to do? Did god promise him he would not die that's why he was surprise to God letting him die?

When trying to understand, according to Islam's version of the story:

The Quran teaches that out of God's mercy towards mankind, He did not leave Adam (pbuh) without any kind of forgiveness or guidance. So He gives Adam (pbuh) what we may call "first law" (2:37): "Then learnt Adam from his Lord certain words, and his Lord pardoned him". Adam (pbuh) was given first word or first law, for guidance and for forgiveness. Thus Islam teaches that starting with first generation on Earth, Adam (pbuh) had a law about right and wrong -not to kill and so on, and learnt how to repent, and Allah forgave him. The Quran also teaches that "On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns. And it suffers every ill that it earns" (2:286) meaning that one can't be responsible for the action of his father, mother or anybody else.

The way to Heave has always been to believe in God and obey his Law -Sharia'a in Arabic- that’s why all the messengers have taught about keeping the law. If one of the Messengers taught his followers that it does not matter whether you follow the law or not, then what is he teaching them?

ACCORDING TO THE QURAN, GOD FORGIVES WITHOUT A PRICE, you only need to be sincere not to ask for forgiveness with hypocrisy and willing to better your life. There is a whole chapter (40) that is entitled: AL-GHAFIR (THE FORGIVER )

Jesus (pbuh) job (then) was to remind the Israelites: " But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 15:24) the same is in the Quran, but do you believe what Jesus (pbuh) said in the Bible? He was sent to them, when he finished telling them what he was suppose to tell them, he turned to God as his work was done: " I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4).

" …but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not. Nay, God raised him up unto Himself; and God is Exalted in Power, Wise" the holy Quran (4:157-158). Jesus (pbuh) was already taken away by Gabriel, That's why they were unable to find him and had to hire somebody to tell them where he was.

Somebody else by act of miracle was made to look like him. They thought it was him, they took him and crucified him. That somebody cried: " Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)…unless you still want to believe it was Jesus (pbuh) who said that, do you?

Our own action is what is going to determine our final destination as any honest person who understand about God -including you, I'm sure- would tell me. God will not hold us responsible for the action of our grandparents, nor that he would allow us to heaven for the action of others.

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Q12-If there is no savior Muslims believe in, then how are they going to go to heaven?

Muslims believe in only one savior, who is God. The Quran teaches that we can't take anybody or anything as equal with God: "Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah): They love them as they should love Allah. But those of (true) Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah. (2:165). Incidentally, the Bible teaches the same; (Isaiah 43:11) "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior." These are the same teachings Jesus (pbuh) taught his followers as you see in the examples where he taught to worship only God. Not only that, but he demonstrated exactly how to, in the way he worshipped God. The Quran also teaches that "On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns. And it suffers every ill that it earns" (2:286) meaning that one can't be responsible for the action of his father, mother or anybody else.

Our article the way to heaven:

How can we humans, from the Islamic prospective, overcome "sin"? The Quran teaches that life is a test, that earthly life is temporary (67:2). Muslims believe that there is reward and punishment, that there is life hereafter and that reward or punishment don't necessarily wait until the Day of judgment. Muslims also believe in resurrection and accountability.

Islam teachings are always practical, it teaches that our way to heaven is by being humble and that we cannot achieve salvation by our own righteousness. The reconciliation of the "sinful" human with Allah is contingent on three elements; the most important is; The grace, the mercy and the generosity of God. Then there are good deeds and of course, the correct belief. Correct belief and good deeds are prerequisites for God's grace and forgiveness and for rising above our common shortcomings. Correct belief and good deeds are the proofs that we are turning -or walking- towards God, not holding the correct belief or choosing to do what is wrong means that we are walking away from Him.

To acquire good deeds one must do what is right and avoid what is wrong according to the teachings and the way shown to us by Muhammad (pbuh), whenever there is a choice. Allah tells us that there will be times when we will have no choice, He already knows that, because He is the All-Knowing. He gives us some examples:

"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restrain. (Fasting) for a fixed number of days. But if any of you is ill or on a journey, the prescribed number (should be made up) from days later"(2-183,184).

And; "…But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits. Then he is guiltless, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving most Merciful"(2-173).

How can sin be washed away? The Quran gives the prescription:

"If any one does evil or wrongs his own soul but afterwards seeks God's forgiveness, he will find God Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"(4: 110). However, Islam does not teach that one can choose to do what is wrong and then go a head and ask for forgiveness later, for this would be hypocrisy. It teaches repentance, stopping evil ways, feeling sorry for what one has done and determining to follow the path of Allah as much as humanly possible.

Islam teaches that Allah is only interested in the individual's sincere repentance and in one's turning towards Him.

Islam also teaches that one cannot inherit any sins or good deeds of anybody else. But will be asked only for what he/she did:

"On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns. And it suffers every ill that it earns" (2:286)

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Q12.1-Isn't there a mathematical error in the Quran? In chapter 4 verses 11 and 12 when you add up the different parts of inheritance given to the heirs, it is more than one. Therefore the author of the Quran does not know mathematics.

Islam explains the law of inheritance in great detail. Ignoring the details of anything would usually lead us to the wrong conclusion. The two verses teach about two cases. First if the deceased person is a man and the second if the deceased was a women. Not only that but the two verses detail for us other probabilities. Whether the deceased has children or not, had parents to inherit or not and whether he had brothers and sisters or not. They explain the different portions of inheritance according to the different situations or probabilities. Let us examine these verses and try to note the details:

"Allah (thus) directs you as regards your children’s (inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females: if ONLY DAUGHTERS, TWO OR MORE, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; IF ONLY ONE, her share is a half. For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if the deceased left children; IF NO CHILDREN, and the parents are the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; IF THE DECEASED LEFT BROTHERS (OR SISTERS) the mother has a sixth. (The distribution in all cases is) after the payment of legacies and debts. Ye know not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These are settled portions ordained by Allah; and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." "IN WHAT YOUR WIVES LEAVE, your share is a half, IF THEY LEAVE NO CHILD; but if they leave child, ye get a fourth; after payment of legacies and debts. In what ye leave, their share is a fourth, if ye leave no child; BUT IF YE LEAVE A CHILD, they get an eighth; after payment of legacies and debts." (4:11-12)

According to the law of inheritance in Islam after paying off the debts and liabilities first, the share is given to the spouses and the parents depending on whether the deceased has left children or not. And whatever portion of wealth is remaining is divided between the sons and the daughters according to their respective shares. Thus the Quran is giving DIFFERENT PERCENTAGES ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT PROBABILITIES. If you take only one probability and add the shares all together, the total will be only one. But you can't add different probabilities all together because the result will be meaningless. This could be explained with this simple example:

Suppose you are married, have one child and are going to get a bonus from your work, you have not made your mind up yet, but these were your possibilities:

You would share the bonus equally between you and your spouse, each will get a half. If you and your wife decided to buy a nice toy for your child with an equal share to yours and your spouse’s, then each one’s share would be one third of the bounce. But if you decided to also buy a fourth gift with an equal amount for your mother in law, then each one will get a gift of one quarter of the bonus.

In that example there are three probabilities:

You and your spouse would get one half each.

You, your spouse and your child would get one third each.

You, your spouse, your child and your mother in law, would get one quarter each.

If you choose ANY OF THESE POSSIBILITIES OR PROBABILITIES, THE TOTAL WILL ALWAYS BE ONE. But if you add all the shares together, %50 + %33.3 + %25, then you would be making a mathematical error and the result would be meaningless. You COULD ONLY DISTRIBUTE YOUR BONUS IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER but not on all three probabilities. You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to figure out that you could not distribute %108.3 of your bonus. The result of adding all these portions together (%108.3) is meaningless and could have not come up unless you have done something wrong, which is adding all probabilities together. In the two verses above, the inheritance should be distributed on all heirs. They explain the different probabilities, whether the deceased has children or not, had parents to inherit and so on. They explain the different portions of inheritance according to the different situations or probabilities.

Unfortunately, this could have been one of two possibilities. Either a simple MISUNDERSTANDING due to not reading the complete details in the two verses. Or it is another way of misquoting Islam, by MISLEADING others into believing that Islam teaches something that it doesn’t. Any rational person who carefully examine the example and note the details in the two verses should be able to understand the trick of adding up numbers that don’t belong together.

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Q13-Isn't it true that Usman -Uthman or Othman-(R.A.) wrote the Quran after the death of Muhammad (pbuh). Therefore is it not true that the present Qur'an is the one compiled by Usman (R.A.) and not the original revelation of God? What is the history of the Quran from the time it was reveled until today's writings.

One of the most common myths about the Qur’an, is that Usman -Uthman or Othman (R.A.), the third Caliph of Islam is the author or the editor of the present Qur’an, and thus what we have today is not the original Quran. If we are to consider this to be a fact as some claim, we need to be sincere in finding answers to these questions:

What was the reason (the cause) for Usman -Uthman or Othman to "make up" another Quran (the effect)?

Why credit his work -the supposed Usman's Quran- to Muhammad (pbuh) who died long time ago?

Since he was the ruler of Muslims, with all the power, if he wanted to show off or to make history, wouldn't make mores sense that he would claim to be another Prophet? With another book and call it whatever name pleases him?

If Usman was able to actually make up his own Quran, what stopped others from doing many other Qurans after Usman, why only him?

By the time the 3rd Caliph (Usman) have taken over, Islam had reached regions that were not under his control. How did he convince, forced or made others who were not under his command to accept "his version"?

If there were earlier real ones as SOME CLAIM, what happened to them? Non of them have survived? Non of these "original teachings" writings is available today, non at all? Not even those copies made it to lands that were not under the control of Muslims by the time the 3rd Caliph (Usman) have taken over?

Just thinking of the first question on the above list, why did Usman do so? If he had power over people to force them to accept his -forged…?- copy as some claim, why didn't he claim to be a prophet too? Why not at least claim to be a co-author of the Quran?

If he did do anything about the written scriptures what was it, and… why?

Now, let us examine this part of the history of the Quran and roots of this MYTH.

1-Muhammad (pbuh) himself supervised and authenticated the written texts

Whenever the Prophet received a revelation, he would first memorize it himself and later declare the revelation and instruct his Companions who would also memorize it. The Prophet would immediately ask the scribes to write down the revelation he had received, and he would reconfirm and recheck it himself. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was an Ummi who could not read and write. Therefore, after receiving each revelation, he would repeat it to his Companions. They would write down the revelation, and he would recheck by asking them to read what they had written. If there was any mistake, the Prophet would immediately point it out and have it corrected and rechecked. Similarly he would even recheck and authenticate the portions of the Qur’an memorized by the Companions. In this way, the complete Qur’an was written down under the personal supervision of the prophet (pbuh). This is besides the number of Muslims which reached tenth of thousands who have memorized the whole Quran word for word at that time.

2-Order and sequence of Qur’an Divinely inspired

The complete Qur’an was revealed over a period of 22½ years portion by portion, as and when it was required. The Qur’an was not compiled by the Prophet in the chronological order of revelation. The order and sequence of the Qur’an too was Divinely inspired and was instructed to the Prophet by Allah (swt) through archangel Gabriel. Whenever a revelation was conveyed to his companions, the Prophet would also mention in which surah (chapter) and after which ayat (verse) this new revelation should fit.

Every Ramadan (Ramadhan) all the portions of the Qur’an that had been revealed, including the order of the verses, were revised and reconfirmed by the Prophet with archangel Gabriel. During the last Ramadhan, before the demise of the Prophet, the Qur’an was rechecked and reconfirmed twice.

It is therefore clearly evident that the Qur’an was compiled and authenticated by the Prophet himself during his lifetime, both in the written form as well as in the memory of several of his Companions.

3-The verbal tradition

The written copies were one of the ways Quran was preserved. Memorizing Quran was another authentic way to assure the written text was correct too. This may seem strange that Muslims actually memorize the whole Quran, as many other religions don't do this. Yet, it is true, Muslims recite Quran in their prayers, since they pray every day, it becomes easy for them to memorize all, most or parts of the Quran. In the holy month of Ramadan, the whole Quran is recited from memory in the extra prayers at night. This is another way Quran was preserved in addition to the written texts.

4-Different Qurans..!?

During the life of the Prophet (pbuh), when people from around Arabia heard of the new Prophet, as they came from non-Arabic speaking countries, they wrote what they heard the prophet saying. Some times what they wrote was in their own languages because they wanted to take what they write back to their own people who could not read Arabic. These other languages, though close to the Arabic language, some words did not give the same meaning because of the differences between these languages and Arabic.

Adding to that another fact, which is: What they wrote was not personally verified by the Prophet or any of his scribes and thus may have contained mistakes, in other cases, they were incomplete collections either. These were sometimes called PERSONAL collections of the Quran.

5-Qur’an copied on one common material

The complete Qur’an, along with the correct sequence of the verses, was present during the time of the Prophet (pbuh). The verses however, were written on separate pieces, scrapes of leather, thin flat stones, leaflets, palm branches, shoulder blades, etc. After the demise of the prophet, Abu Bakr (R.A.), the first caliph of Islam ordered that the Qur’an be copied from the various different materials on to a common material and place, which was in the shape of sheets. These were tied with strings so that nothing of the compilation was lost.

Just a reminder, the verbal tradition was still intact, whereby the written text was not the only copies available, those who memorized the whole Quran constituted other copies.

6-Usman (R.A.) and the personal collections

There was still the problem of these personal collections of portions of the Qur’an that people had wrote form other countries but was never reviewed as explained above. Usman (R.A.) was faced with that problem, he consulted with the knowledgeable people and those who were scribes of the messenger at that time and decided to make copies of the complete and reviewed Quran available for those who were Muslims elswhere but had only these personal collections. He borrowed the original manuscript of the Qur’an, which was authorized by the beloved Prophet (pbuh), from Hafsha the Prophet’s wife (May Allah be pleased with her). Usman (R.A.) ordered four Companions who were among the scribes who wrote the Qur’an when the Prophet dictated it, led by Zaid bin Thabit (R.A.) to rewrite the script in several perfect copies. These were sent by Usman (R.A.) to the main centers of Muslims. All this work was also verified with many of the companions who memorizes the Quran, including all the names mentioned above.

7-The destruction of some Qurans…!?

After complete copies were made available to almost all areas by Usman the 3^rd Caliph, he only appealed to the people to destroy all these personal collections which did not match the original manuscript of the Qur’an in order to preserve the original text of the Qur’an. This is the reason why he did not have to convince people with his -forged…?- copy as some call it. Further more, this is also the reason why people everywhere, even those who were not under his ruling did not find any difficulties to accept what he wrote.

8-Diacritical marks were added for non-Arabs

The original manuscript of the Qur’an does not have the signs indicating the vowels in Arabic script. These vowels are known as fataha, damma and qasra in Arabic. The Arabs did not require the vowel signs and diacritical marks for correct pronunciation of the Qur’an since it was their mother tongue. For Muslims of non-Arab origin -Egyptians and Persians in the example above, it was difficult to recite the Qur’an correctly without the vowels. These marks were introduced into the Quranic script during the time of the fifth ‘Umayyad’ Caliph, Malik-ar-Marwan (66-86 Hijri/685-705 C.E.) and during the governor ship of Al-Hajaj in Iraq.

9-Allah Himself has promised to guard the Qur’an

Allah has promised in the Qur'an: "We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)." [Al-Qur’an 15:9]. All the Arabic copies Muslims have today every where in the world, are the same when compared with each other. Throughout history, there has never been an area in the whole world that has been colonized by a foreign power like the Middle East. Yet neither colonization nor people could change even one word in the original Arabic text since it was originally written. Nothing has been taken out and nothing has been added to it. There is not any other realistic explanation to the unchanged text, except that the original text was and still is protected by God as promised in the verse above.

Muslims have recited the Holy Quran since the time of the Prophet (pbuh) during their daily prayers. It may sound strange but the truth is, the verbal tradition alone is enough for the preserving of the Quran. Today we have besides that the written Quran that matches the verbal memorized Quran with the same 114 chapters with the same number of verse for 1400 years without a single change.

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Q14-Isn't true that the Quran teaches that if a Muslim wish to convert to another religion he should be killed? Why Muslims who convert to another religion should be killed?

This is another misconception about Islam. You might have heard or read for somebody who made that claim, we should not just consider anybody's CLAIM to be a FACT… Consider the source

There is no such verse that teaches so in the Quran. Further more, when you search the Quran you will find to the contrary of that. The Quran is rich with verses that teaches tolerance to other religions and to those who choose not to believe in anything at all, here are some examples:

(2:256): "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error, whoever rejects Taghut (anything other than the real God, false deities, Satan, idols and so on) and believes in God, hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things".

(18:29): "Say: The truth is from your Lord; Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject".

(109:6): "You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion".

Of course the Quran does not encourage one to leave Islam, but it offers him the freedom to be convinced with what it teaches. This way one do not become a Muslim just because his father, mother or somebody always told him so, but after being convinced with Islam without any doubts in his mind, so that a Muslim accepts Islam with conviction and devotion. This is also the reason why it will be very hard to find one who converts from Islam to another religion. I can not say it is impossible, I can only say that under the normal conditions, it will be very hard to find somebody who would convert from Islam.

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Q15-How does one become a Muslim?

There are no elaborate rituals or ceremonies to perform to enter Islam (Self-Surrender to God) for Islam is the faith of reason, and therefore it takes an exercise of reason to become a Muslim. Simply by declaring and believing in one's heart the following phrase: "There is no object of devotion save God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God," one thereby is a believer. As a consequence of making this statement sincerely, everything an individual did that was wrong or unethical in his life up to that point is forgiven by God, no matter what it was. This declaration of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula that all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic, the first part is la ilaha illa'Llah - 'there is no god except God'; Ilaha (god) can refer to anything, which we may be tempted to put in place of God - wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa'Llah:' except God, the source of all Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadun rasulu'Llah: 'Muhammad is the Messenger of God'. From that moment onwards, the slate is cleared and you begin life again as a new person -- A Muslim.

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1-We in the Holy Quran:

Some of us may wonder why does God choose to speak in plural like "We created". If we lookup the word "we" in the dictionary, we will find out that it can be used for "I" when the speaker is a king, an emperor or a president. Also, an author who is speaking of his publication can use the word "we".

Choose a section of the common questions about Islam:

General questions about Islam

Questions about Jihad and terrorism

Questions about women or woman in Islam

Questions about specific verses from the Quran

Questions about The Mosque (worshipping place) and prayers in Islam

Questions about Muhammad, Mohammad, or Muhamet peace be upon him.

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