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[Esm'ail]

Asalamalaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
I wanted to share these questions with u my brothers and sisters. Since there are some good sheikhs and priests and not forgetting nuns also.

1. Is it true the apocryphal gospels were written later in time after the 4 common gospels?

2. What does Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh) mean when he says, "I AM"?

3. Does I AM represent GOD everywhere in the bible?

4. Is it true that when Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh) said that he is a son of man, did he actually try to exalt himself or did he actually try to show his humanity? Read Daniel 7:13-14 :). Don't be bias plse.

5. According to u, is it true that the Gospels can be trusted just because they are written 30yrs/ 60yrs after the life of Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh)? If No why?
If Yes why?

6. Please have u seen any contradictions in the bible which cannot be explained? (ur opinion) :).

7. When were the sayings of Prophet Muhammad(SAW) and verses of the Holy Qur'an collected?

8. When was the biography of the Prophet Muhammad(SAW) written?

9. Who was recording all the virtous acts of the Prophet and the Imams?

10. Who was recording the miracles of the Prophet and the Imams?

11. What does the moon and the star on top of the mosques resemble?

12. Why did the Prophet(SAW) have so many wives? could he do justice between them? I mean logical question.

13. Why are muslims around the world despised?

14. Why don't muslims like preaching their faith all over the world like the way christians do? I mean muslims have the sweetest faith, honestly.

15. If you were a strong christian would you have seen Islam like the way you see it now? If yes why? If NO why?

17. If a person tells you tht Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh), all tht time when he was saying GOD is one, GOD GOD why have you forsaken me, he was just saying tht to show humans how to humble themselves towards GOD, while he himself was GOD, does tht make sense?
If NO why?

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

Wa alaykum salaam

1. Is it true the apocryphal gospels were written later in time after the 4 common gospels?
ans: It is claimed so. The Gospel of Thomas, though, is accepted by some Christians to have been written earlier and to be more authentic than the canonical gospels.


2. What does Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh) mean when he says, "I AM"?
ans:I don't know for sure, since I am not him. Christians claim that he said 'Before Abraham was, I am' to show his divinity since 'I am' is used by God in the Old Testament. An interesting fact to note is that the words in the Old Testament (Jeremiah, Exodus) are HO ON, while the words Jesus used are written EGO EIMI. Clearly, he was not claiming divinity. If he was, he would have made sure he used the exact same words.


3. Does I AM represent GOD everywhere in the bible?
ans:I guess not, since 'I am' is a simple sentence confirming your existence.


4. Is it true that when Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh) said that he is a son of man, did he actually try to exalt himself or did he actually try to show his humanity? Read Daniel 7:13-14 . Don't be bias plse.
ans:The term 'Son of Man' (Ben Adam in Hebrew, Binadamu in Kiswahili) means human. If Jesus used it for himself, he was humbling himself before God, not exalting himself, since the term is used as an indicator of Man's helplessness before God. He may have also used it to show that he is NOT God. Surprised?

God is not a man...Nor a son of man...(Numbers 23:19)

'Son of Man' is a term used generally for all human beings. Does it mean anything other than human when God refers to Ezekiel as 'Son of Man' more than 90 times?


5. According to u, is it true that the Gospels can be trusted just because they are written 30yrs/ 60yrs after the life of Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh)? If No why?
If Yes why?
ans:Even if the gospels were written by Jesus himself, they have undergone so many changes that they cannot be considered authentic. Bible scholars claim that the gospels are only 60% consistent with each other. Can you trust books which are 40% inconsistent?

“The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven…The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book” (page 231).

“More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, yet only a relatively few were chosen for inclusion…” (page 231).

“The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman Emperor Constantine the Great” (page 231).
(Dan Brown, in Da Vinci Code)

6. Please have u seen any contradictions in the bible which cannot be explained? (ur opinion) .
ans:Yes


7. When were the sayings of Prophet Muhammad(SAW) and verses of the Holy Qur'an collected?
ans:The verses of the Qur'an were collected and compiled in a book-form during the life of the Prophet (saw).

As for his sayings...The Sunni books were compiled long after him. The Shi'a books as follows...

From the very beginning. in accordance with the Prophet's command "Record knowledge by putting it into writing," Ali (`a) used to write down the Prophet's sayings and statements. As a result the Imams of the Prophet's family, may Peace be upon them, possessed a book from which they would narrate for their close disciples. The contents of that book were dictated by the Prophet (s) and written by Ali (`a). Aside from this, the Imams themselves would instruct their pupils and ordered them to write it down.

The Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt ( `a) also possessed another book which was dictated by Hadrat Zahra' (s) and written down by Imam Ali (`a). It contained the teachings which Hadrat Zahra' (s) had received from the Prophet or knew from Divine inspiration. Moreover, we find such statements as the following among the traditions of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (`a) "Write down whatever you hear, for you will need it in the near future."

Extract from the book "Sunnah, from Shi'i and Sunni Viewpoints" by Ayatullah Ali Mishkini http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid//sunnah/index.htm

The Shi'a books of hadith that we have today were compiled during the time of the 12th Imam. For example, Shaikh ar-Razi compiled a book of ahadith and presented it to Imam Mahdi (atfs). The Imam was pleased with him and said "It is Kafi (enough [for guidance])." The book was thus named al-Kafi.


8. When was the biography of the Prophet Muhammad(SAW) written?
ans:The first biography would be the book written by Imam Aly mentioned above.


9. Who was recording all the virtous acts of the Prophet and the Imams?
ans:Their companions, disciples, and scholars at their times. Surprisingly, even their enemies used to acknowledge them.


10. Who was recording the miracles of the Prophet and the Imams?
ans:The same as above


11. What does the moon and the star on top of the mosques resemble?
ans:They resemble the real moon and the stars. I think they are there to draw our attention to the signs of Allah (swt) through which He can be seen.


12. Why did the Prophet(SAW) have so many wives? could he do justice between them? I mean logical question.
ans:Khadija was his only wife when he was young. So it's not like he wanted so many women around him. If he did, he would have married more women while he was young...He had a reason for each wife. If I were to give you a reason for each wife, this would get too long. Unless you want me to...? Could he do justice among them? It is reported (by his wives, I think) that he divided everything so fairly among them, that he even performed his wudhoo at the house of the wife who's turn it was to be with him that day.


13. Why are muslims around the world despised?
ans:Because people dislike the truth when it carries a responsibility.


14. Why don't muslims like preaching their faith all over the world like the way christians do? I mean muslims have the sweetest faith, honestly.
ans:Muslims like preaching their faith, and they do preach it. Examples of organizations that do this are Bilal Muslim Mission, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and World Islamic Propagation and Humanitarian Services (WIPAHS).


15. If you were a strong christian would you have seen Islam like the way you see it now? If yes why? If NO why?
ans: Yes, maybe I would even be stronger in my faith once I found Islam. Why? Because Salman Farsi was one of the best companions of the Prophet (saw) and he had been a Christian before.


Hey, you missed no. 16.


17. If a person tells you tht Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh), all tht time when he was saying GOD is one, GOD GOD why have you forsaken me, he was just saying tht to show humans how to humble themselves towards GOD, while he himself was GOD, does tht make sense? If NO why?
ans: To call upon yourself in order to show other poeple how to call upon you...nah, doesn't make sense. I thought only lunatics talk to themselves. I'm sure Jesus was not a lunatic. Besides, he was not the crucified man. That was Judas, the Traitor.

[Esm'ail]

Asalamalaykum warhamtullahi wabarakatuh,
How come people can heal in Jesus' name and not in Muhammad's name?
I'm assuming people can't heal in Muhammad's name, cuz I have never witnessed it.:lol

Why are Bohras and Ismailis totally different from us?
Or did they miss the part where the Prophet(SAW) said tht there will be 12 Imams from the Quraish. Or is this quote just forged by Shiites Muslims? :)

[qarrar]

How come people can heal in Jesus' name and not in Muhammad's name?

What’s wrong with you? Have you been healed yourself? And if this healing was entirely true and efficient then why is there suffering in this world, why are millions of people dieing from AIDS, Malaria and numerous other diseases that plague our world today? Why do we need medicine for that matter, lets jus install these Christian priests with a bible and a loud speaker in every hospital around the world and let them cure us from evil spirits.

Why are the Anglicans and Pentecostals totally different from the Catholics? Why don’t they believe in the Pope, isn’t he Christ’s enforcer on earth?

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

Why are Bohras and Ismailis totally different from us?
Or did they miss the part where the Prophet(SAW) said tht there will be 12 Imams from the Quraish. Or is this quote just forged by Shiites Muslims?

If the quote were forged by the Ithna'asharis, would it be found in Sunni books?

Why did the Christians follow Paul after Jesus' ascension instead of following Simon Peter, whom Jesus had left in charge of his 'sheep'? (John 20:17) When Peter and Paul parted ways, did the Christians not know what Jesus had said? Or did Peter put that part into the Bible later?

[Esm'ail]

Asalamalaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Fatimahzahra Karim wrote:
2. What does Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh) mean when he says, "I AM"?
ans:I don't know for sure, since I am not him. Christians claim that he said 'Before Abraham was, I am' to show his divinity since 'I am' is used by God in the Old Testament. An interesting fact to note is that the words in the Old Testament (Jeremiah, Exodus) are HO ON, while the words Jesus used are written EGO EIMI. Clearly, he was not claiming divinity. If he was, he would have made sure he used the exact same words.

My response:
Maybe because the words standing for I AM in the old testament is hebrew and the words standing for I AM in new testament is greek.

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

True...that's possible. But since the whole new testament is in greek, it is safe to assume that at Jesus' time, the old testament in use was a greek translation. If Jesus wanted to claim divinity, I'm sure he would be careful to use the exact same words. On the other hand, assuming the old testament had not been translated, Jesus would be speaking Hebrew, too. In this case, the authors of the gospels would use the same words, if they understood them to be a claim to his divinity. Since the words used are different, we conclude that neither Jesus nor the writers of the gospels considered Jesus divine.

[Esm'ail]

The old testament at Jesus' time was not in greek thats for sure. Because Prophet Jesus Christ spoke aramaic.

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

How do you know that (both)? Can you provide a few references please?

[Esm'ail]

Another interesting thing to note sister Karim, that the greek word for servant and son is one of the same.

The greek word pais is servant and son at the sametime.
Now, when Christian scholars of highest eminence who studied the original greek manuscripts, decided to translate in some places that word pais as servant ( in the New testament), but in some places they left it as son.
This was done after the KJV(King James Version) was released. If u try reading the KJV Bible, the word son occurs at many places than any other bible.
Weird!!

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

Interesting...will check on that.

[Esm'ail]

If you want the link u go to answering-christianity.
I know it kinda seems boring with the answering sites, but seriously some facts are interesting.

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

thanks for the site

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

I just came across something interesting. Zakir Naik mentioned in one of his lectures that the oldest existing version of the old testament is in greek. The Hebrew old testament is a re-translation of the greek translation; it is not the original.

It is speculated that Jesus spoke Aramaic. It is also widely believed that Jesus spoke Hebrew as well as Greek. (source: wikipedia)

[Esm'ail]

Asalamalaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Thanx sister Karim for the interesting information. :)
But I'm kindly asking for the proof about ur statement that the oldest existing version of the old testament is in greek.

But I can give u the proof that Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh) spoke Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew.
Before that I have a knowledge I wanna share, do you know that the hebrew name for Syria is Aram. Therefore Aramaic is the hebrew name for the Syriac language.
The Jewish people spoke Syriac because they were ruled/colonised by the Syrian people for a long time (60 years before Prophet Jesus Christ(pbuh).

Here is the proof. Check this site.
http://www.biblesociety.ca/about_bible/ ... index.html