Your Book and My Book · A topical comparison of the Qur'an with the Bible. Similarities and differences between the Holy Books of Islam and the Christian faith. by Nehls, Gerhard -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Title Page Copyright DEDICATION Blaise Pascal Our Point of Departure

God and We Why this Book? The Concept of the Book The Two Books under Consideration The Time Line of the Books An Overview of the Bible An Overview of the Qur’an Interpreting the Books Important Notes on the Text

Thoughts about the Nature and Character of God Who is God, and What is He Like?

Who is Allah? God is eternal Allah is eternal God is holy Allah is holy God is unchanging (immutable) God is everywhere (omnipresent) God is all-powerful (omnipotent) Allah is all-powerful Yahweh is the living God Allah is the living One God is all-knowing (omniscient) God is wisdom Allah is the knower, the wise God is truth (veracity) and he asks us to be true as well Allah is true God is the creator of all there is Allah, the creator of the world Allah is also the creator of man He is equally the creator of the animal world Allah also created angels, demons and Jinns God can be recognized by what he created Allah’s signs of his existence Allah is gracious (al-rahman) He is beneficent and merciful (al-rahim) God is compassionate and gracious God is invisible Allah is invisible God is sovereign Allah, the Absolute God is the judge of the world Allah is the judge Allah is irresistible God respects the choice of man, and is not irresistible Allah has no son or partner Allah is one God (tawhid) God is one in a unity Other titles of Allah Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth Lord of the worlds Lord of mankind Lord of the throne of honor Other attributes of God God is a believer’s heavenly Father God is the ‘shepherd’ of his ‘sheep’ God is man’s provider Allah is man’s provider God is love - and imparts (accredits or assigns) his love on his people Allah’s love Whom Allah does not love Allah, the forgiving and loving one Allah’s promises God’s promises

Satan, the Contender of Allah

The origin of Satan - a rebellious angel The nature and work of Satan is lying, deception, and destruction Our protection from Satan The fate of the devil when Jesus returns to the earth for judgment

Man in Relation to His Creator

God has a plan for man Man was made ‘in the likeness of God’ God intended man to stay that way

The Purpose and Condition of Man According to the Qur’an God and Man in Conflict

Actions have consequences! God assesses the intentions of our hearts Satan finds a complying ally in us Keeping the law and commandments of God means to keep all of them The severity of evil is symbolically demonstrated in the words of Jesus Nobody ‘gets away with it’ Nobody can claim ignorance God grieves when his children turn away from him Allah is not harmed by the folly of man

The Purpose of God’s Law

Our conscience serves as an innate guideline for righteous living For clearer instructions God added his law The covenant law of God with Israel was its constitution Breaking of the law demands punishment A law does not save, it judges and condemns The wrath of God God’s wrath and anger are still burning today against all hypocrisy, pride, indifference towards God, as well as open rebellion Because no one fully kept God’s law, his grace and mercy remain our only hope God’s story with Israel was just as touching as what he offers to us now Believers respond positively to God’s Law

God’s Compassion, Grace and Mercy

God is compassionate and gracious Grace means salvation, even for those who do not deserve it

God’s Grace Invites Us to Be Reconciled to Him

Law without grace means despair Grace without our responsibility is self-deception The Law of God is perfect - but we are not

God’s Rescue Plan

We all desperately need God’s forgiveness God is willing to forgive sinners Receiving forgiveness includes that we also forgive Compassion and grace overrule the law that condemns Man’s struggle to overcome sinful desires - and God’s solution The new covenant of God is for all who truly seek him, and is based on grace alone The new covenant is governed by a new law Jesus gave his life so that we may find eternal life through him He brings peace (of mind) to the believers There is hope, even when our situation appears hopeless God gives his followers a living hope How King David sought and found God’s forgiveness and grace

Remedy for Sin in the Qur’an

Repentance Forgiveness Mercy and grace Salvation - the rescue from deserved punishment Allah alone determines man’s life and destiny Guidance, forgiveness, and punishment are predetermined by Allah

The Remedy for Sin According to the Bible

The coming of Jesus was foretold centuries before he was born ...and so it happened Why Jesus? Who is he? When Jesus came to this earth he was ‘the image of the invisible God’

What Jesus Said about Himself What Jesus did for Mankind Salvation is a Gift of Love from God Jesus the Great Healer

Jesus was moved with compassion when he healed two blind men Jesus healed a sick woman and raised a dead girl from the dead Jesus raised a young man from the dead Jesus raised a man who had been dead for four days Jesus healed a lame man Jesus healed a man suffering of leprosy Jesus healed a servant of a Roman Centurion Jesus healed a blind and mute man Jesus cleansed ten lepers Jesus liberated people who were possessed by demons Jesus forgave sins and healed a paralyzed man Jesus exorcised a demon and forgave sins A paralytic is healed and forgiven Jesus forgave the sin of a paralysed man and healed him

Jesus and the Elements of Nature

He stilled a storm Jesus walked on a large lake He changed water into wine Jesus caused a great catch of fish Jesus fed 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish The Apostles of Jesus were given of his power

The Teaching of Jesus...

The ‘Sermon on the Mount’ Jesus explains what the ‘new birth’ is all about Jesus taught mind boggling truths in parables and plain talk The religious leaders of the Jews at that time rejected Jesus as their Messiah What Jesus thinks of self-righteous people Jesus urges all people to enter the kingdom of God Jesus will come back to our earth Jesus will take his followers to be with him in heaven forever

The Holy Spirit of God

God’s Spirit enlightens the believers The legacy Jesus left for his disciples The Spirit of God fills the hearts the believers The Holy Spirit of God reveals his Word to us The natural and the spiritual are both part of our human experience

What and Where is the Kingdom of God? Forgiveness Ushers in a New Life Who are True Christians?

Christian believers are not perfect, but forgiven Already the Jewish believers under the ‘Old Covenant’ relied on God The joy of believers Christians are challenged to live a holy life Admonition for believers Beware of deception Strive for these things… Flee these things Believers are to live with integrity Hardships are bound to come What if a believer falls away? The resurrection to be forever with God

Muhammad - the Prophet of Allah

Muhammad the Warner Muhammad the messenger Muhammad’s call to jihad The messenger’s journey to heaven The messenger of Allah is to be obeyed Muhammad, the unlettered [illiterate] Prophet Contemporaries of Muhammad questioned his calling The prophecy of the Prophet Was Muhammad foretold in the Bible? The ‘Satanic Verses’ The privileges of the Prophet Forgiveness was granted to the Prophet The status of the Prophet What Muhammad said before his demise

The Revelation of God

How did God reveal his word to his prophets? Revelation and inspiration of the Qur’an The purpose of revelation Already Moses was granted revelation The sovereignty of Allah in revelation

The Bible - the Word of God How Can We Know that the Bible was Revealed by God?

God’s proof of the divine origin of the Bible Prophets foretold Jesus’ coming and birth The prophet Daniel foretold the time of the coming of the Messiah Prophecy regarding Jesus’ entering Jerusalem Prophecy about the betrayal of Jesus Prophecy about Jesus at his trial Prophecy pointing to the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross Prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead Prophecy about the ascension of Jesus to heaven The apostle Peter was an eye witness of these things The Apostle Paul’s declares the reasons for his trust in God’s revelation

The Qur’an - the Word of Allah

The introduction of the Qur’an in the Mishkatu’l- Masabih The first revelation came to Muhammad in the cave of Hira The nature of the Qur’an The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic The sign to verify the prophethood of Muhammad is the Qur’an About the divine origin of the Qur’an The collection of the Qur’an and its first collation The revision of the Qur’an under Khalif Uthman No one can change the Qur’an Alterations that were done to the Qur’an The Qur’an confirms ‘Former Scriptures’

How Can We Know that the Qur’an was Revealed by Allah?

How the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad

What the Qur’an Says about the Bible

There is no difference between true Christians, Jews, and Muslims No one corrupted or changed the ‘Former Books’

Jews and Christians as the Qur’an Presents Them

People of the Book (Jews and Christians) The Jews The Christians There is no compulsion in religion

What the Qur’an Says about Jesus

What the Qur’an says about the birth of Jesus What the Qur’an says about the crucifixion and death of Jesus What the Qur’an says about the ‘Trinity’ of God

Where the Qur’an and the Bible Differ

Noah’s experience according to the Bible The story of Noah as it appears in the Qur’an Abraham’s father according to the Bible was Terah Abraham’s father according to the Qur’an was Azar Moses, according to the Bible, was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter In the Qur’an Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s wife Korah, Pharao, and Haman were not contemporaries Pharaoh, Haman, and the tower (of Babel) according to the Qur’an Pharaoh and Haman and the tower of Babel according to the Bible Yahya, John the Baptist according to the Qur’an John the Baptist according to the Bible Mary and the birth of Jesus Mary, the mother of Jesus, according to the Bible The birth of Jesus as reported in the Bible Jesus’ birth according to the Qur’an The Crucifixion according to the Bible The Crucifixion according to the Qur’an

Islam - the Religion of Allah

The mission of Islam The aim of Islam The jihad for Islam Who is a true Muslim? The enemies of Islam Rejecters of Islam face Allah’s curse

The Last Judgment

When time comes to an end One day we will die… One day we will die... Beyond the grave Jesus will return to this earth Judgment is to come The Judgment Day The Book of Deeds The ‘Mizan’ is the great balance to determine guilt on Judgment Day Punishment Punishment

What is Heaven Like? What is Paradise Like?

Paradise is for the righteous and the obedient ...for both sexes ...for those who repent ...for those who believe The paradise is equally prepared for believing Jews, Christians, and Muslims The Paradise is for those persecuted for their faith The Paradise is for those who died in the way of Allah

Hell

Hell is eternal Who will be in hell? What the Bible says about hell...

Evaluation

We note Agreements and disagreements The historical backdrop of the two Books Similarities of the two Books Fundamental differences between the two Books Different perceptions of God The invisible God makes himself visible Heaven and Hell God and Allah are revealed differently in the two books The question of authenticity The question of truth Which way to Heaven? What the Bible tells us Which way to Heaven? What the Qur’an teaches

Conclusion Appendix

1. The names and attributes of God 2. The use of the word ‘Allah’ 3. Is Jesus one of the ‘partners of Allah’? 4. The trinity of God as it is understood in the Qur’an and the Bible 5. ‘Original sin’ 6. Law, justice, punishment and grace 7. How can Jesus be God? 8. How predestination is understood in the Qur’an and the Bible 9. The timeline of Jesus 10. The Kingdom of God and the Church 11. ‘Justification by grace’ 12. Who is a true Christian? 13. The Former Books 14. How the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad 15. Changes were made to the text of the Qur’an 16. ‘The Satanic verses’ 17. War and peace according to the Qur’an 18. The Gospel (New Testament) 19. ‘The Miraj’, Muhammad’s journey to heaven 20. Muhammad, the ‘unlettered’ prophet 21. The Thamud people and the she-camel 22. The prophecy of the prophet 23. Was Muhammad foretold in the Bible? 24. The matrimonial affairs of the prophet 25. Zaïd and Zainab 26. Mary the Copt 27. Are prophets sinless? 28. The ‘69 weeks of years’ 29. The evidence of Jesus in history 30. Introduction to the Qur’an according in the Mishkatu’l-Masabih 31. What is the Hadith? 32. The use of the words ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslim’ 33. The Qur’an and Science 34. The authorship of the Qur’an 35. The Collection of the Qur’an and its first collation 36. The revision of the Qur’an under Khalif Uthman 37. No-one corrupted or changed the Bible 38. The attributes given to Jesus in the Qur’an 39. The crucial question: Was Jesus crucified and killed - or not? 40. The timeline of God’s working on earth 41. Can ‘good deeds’ compensate for sin? 42. Heaven, hell, and we 43. Punishment in the grave 44. What the Hadith says about the return of Jesus to this earth 45. Faith 46. Prayer 47. The meaning of sacrifices

SOURCES CONSULTED Abbreviation of names of biblical Books

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