The Sermon on the Mount: An Islamic Perspective
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About this ebook
David S. Bell MD
Dr. David S. Bell is a pediatrician who became a Muslim in 1973 and completed his pilgrimage in 1976. Brought up as Protestant, he found that Islam deepened his love for the Blessed Jesus and led to writing the book An Introduction to Islam, published by Trafford press. A fundamental principle of Islam is that God is the source of all Revelation, and it is no surprise that the message contained in the Sermon on the Mount, considered to be the center of Christianity, is also contained in the Qur’an. It is hoped that this book will begin to bridge some of the misunderstandings between these two great religions.
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The Sermon on the Mount - David S. Bell MD
The Sermon on the Mount
An Islamic Perspective
by
David S. Bell, MD
© Copyright 2014, 2015 David S. Bell, MD.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.
The Dr Rashad Khalifa translation is copyrighted by Islamic Productions, Tucson, AZ, USA.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-4460-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4907-4462-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4907-4461-2 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014914592
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Table of Contents
Introduction
1st Blessing: Poor in Spirit
2nd Blessing: They that Mourn
3rd Blessing: Meek
4th Blessing: Righteousness
5th Blessing: Mercy
6th Blessing: Pure of Heart
7th Blessing: Peacemakers
8th Blessing: Persecution
9th Blessing: Persecution For my sake
Conclusion
And Jesus said unto him, why do you call me good?
None is good, save One, that is, God.
Luke 18: 19
The Beatitudes
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
(Matthew 5.3)
2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted
(Matthew 5.4)
3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth
(Matthew 5.5)
4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled
(Matthew 5.6)
5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy
(Matthew 5.7)
6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God
(Matthew 5.8)
7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God
(Matthew 5.9)
8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven
(Matthew 5.10)
9. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake
(Matthew 5.11)
Introduction
Why Should Muslims Study The Sermon on the Mount?
Every day the world swirls about us like a storm, throwing the dust and debris of everyday activities and events into our face. And we endure and even embrace these worldly events as best we can. This morning I am in a hotel room looking out onto a parking lot, just beginning to fill with the days’ business. I have said my morning prayers, selat-ul fejr, and have a few hours before my own worldly concerns begin to swarm over my thoughts like hungry locusts in August. In the stand by the bed there is a Bible, and the pages fall open to the beginning of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount. The Bible is one of the red letter
editions, where the words of the blessed Jesus are in red; all the rest, the commentary, is regular print. As I have done so many times, I savor the words written in red.
I am a Muslim. I have been a Muslim now for over forty years. I was raised Protestant, with a long and rich New England heritage. As a child I would sit in church and think about baseball, but the words from the pulpit echoing down the aisles must have registered somewhere because I learned the Sermon on the Mount by heart. I did not even realize this until after I had become Muslim.
You may think it strange that a Muslim would want to write about the spiritual teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t think it strange at all. In fact, it seems very natural. It has always amazed me that people of different religions find ways to fight with each other, even when few, if any, real differences exist. There are lots of differences in cultures, and I find them rich, fascinating and unique. But in matters of faith, there are few substantive differences. And what differences may exist are due to our ignorance, not God’s confusion.
As I write about the Sermon on the Mount, I write as a Muslim, one hundred percent. But I do not write in order to convert anyone from one religion to another. Actually, I find that a strange concept. The blessed Jesus taught his message, and I accept that message as being from God. That makes the notion of converting from one religion to another as weak as changing from one culture to another. It is faith that matters.
I mean no disrespect to my brothers and sisters who practice the Christian traditions. They might be saying, You are a Muslim, mind your own business.
But just as Christians can benefit from reading Qur’an, Muslims can benefit from reading the Bible. And more than benefit. Sometimes it helps to hear the same message in a different dialect. It is foolish to be threatened or defensive about hearing another dialect. Actually, it may even help us learn. In fact, one of the most profound spiritual events I have ever experienced occurred during a Christian Christmas eve service. But I have chosen Islam as the form in which to bathe my soul, and I am very happy with it. I follow its rules strictly. If some Imam wants to shoot me in the head for writing a book on the Sermon on the Mount, it is their desire. But I seek only to pursue Truth, and the words of the blessed Jesus are confirmed by Qur’an.
The world is filled with war: Protestant against Catholic, Muslim against Jew, and Hindu against Muslim… the list is nearly endless. The problem is not with the Qur’an, it is perfect. The problem is not with the teachings of the Blessed Jesus, those were perfect. The problem is not with the teachings of the Prophets of old - Moses, Noah, Buddha and the others. The problem is really quite simple. We as human beings either cannot, or do not want to follow the teachings in front of us. So we pick out the ones we like and fight like dogs against all who disagree with our interpretations. Each religion is established upon teachings set in balance. When we pick out just the easy parts we upset the balance, and that causes trouble. It is like the soccer fans of two different clubs. Both sets of fans love the sport, but they end up fighting in the stands when one team appears to have an advantage.
The spiritual world which surrounds our soul between birth and death is an infinite ocean. As we, in our ignorance,