Contrasting the Prophet Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad: A Christian Viewpoint

Sam Shamoun

The following is my response to Menjs article which can be found here: http://bismikaallahuma.org/Muhammad/contrast_muhjes.htm Menj attempts to defend the cruelty and bloodlust of Muhammad by contrasting him with the Lord Jesus Christ. As we shall presently demonstrate, there is no comparison between the two. In fact, as John the Baptist said, Muhammad is not worthy to even untie the latches of Jesus sandals. We proceed with our rebuttal: MENJ: Christians often like to contrast Jesus(P) and Muhammad(P) by saying that Jesus(P) was a man of love and peace while Muhammad(P) was a man of war and implemented "violent" laws. But we must realize that Jesus'(P) career was cut short by his departure. Had he succeeded in his first coming to complete his mission there can be no doubt that his career would have involved some use of force. As we have seen, the New Testament says that during his second coming when his mission will be completed he will come with a rod of iron. And there is evidence that even during his first coming, in a lowly and weak position, he was not totally against the use of force. Some gospel traditions suggest that his disciples carried arms which one of them used (Mark 14:47) and he himself initiated the arming of the disciples (Luke 22:35-38), although the gospel writers in various contradictory ways try to minimize the implications of these traditions. He reportedly said that he did not come with peace but with sword (Matthew 10:34-39; Luke 12:51-53, 14:26-27). He turned the tables of traders in the Jerusalem temple (Mark 11:1519; Matt 21:12-17; Luke 19:45-48; John 2:13-22), which is an act of physical force. Some scholars even suggest that Jesus(P) and his disciples were well-armed and they came to Jerusalem to free Palestine from the Romans, but this is highly improbable. Had Jesus' mission come to some type of completion during his ministry he would have looked very similar to the Prophet Muhammad(P). On the other hand, had the Prophet Muhammad(P) been killed during his migration from Makkah, he would have appeared like Prophet Jesus, on whom be peace. The prophets and messengers of God are all essentially of the same spirit. Any differences among them are due to the scope of their work and the circumstances in which they operate. RESPONSE: First, Menj is obviously lying when he says that Jesus' career was cut short and was unable to succeed in his mission since the NT teaches the exact opposite:

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" Matthew 28:18-20 "Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 'Put your sword back in its place,' Jesus said to him, 'for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?'" Matthew 26:51-54 "He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ HAVE to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Luke 24:25-27 "He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.'" Luke 24:44-49 "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. NO ONE TAKES IT FROM ME, BUT I LAY IT DOWN OF MY OWN ACCORD. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." John 10:17-18 "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth BY COMPLETING THE WORK YOU GAVE ME TO DO. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." John 17:1-5 "'Do you refuse to speak to me?' Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?' Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.'" John 19:10-11

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'IT IS FINISHED.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:30 These passages conclusively prove that far from failing in his mission, Jesus perfectly accomplished the work that the Father had given him to do. Menj is therefore guilty of reading his false Islamic presuppositions into the NT documents, as opposed to allowing these documents to speak for themselves. Second, we do agree with Menj that love and peace are not necessarily in conflict with the use of force. At times, force becomes necessary in order to eradicate any hindrances to the existence of true love and peace. Crimes and sins must be punished. This means that criminals and sinners must either transform their lives or suffer the consequences for their rebellion. The problem is not with the use of force or punishment per se. The problem has to do with the claims of Muhammad. Muhammad claimed to be a prophet of God, God's last spokesperson to mankind. He claimed that everyone must believe in his message; otherwise they will suffer the consequences. Herein lies the problem. Unlike Moses and Jesus, Muhammad provided no proof for his claims. God did not back up Muhammad's message with signs and miracles as He had done for Moses and Jesus. In fact, Muhammad was asked on several occasions to prove his prophethood by performing miracles. Here is his response: Say those without knowledge: "Why speaketh not Allah unto us? or why cometh not unto us a Sign?" So said the people before them words of similar import. Their hearts are alike. We have indeed made clear the Signs unto any people who hold firmly to Faith (in their hearts). S. 2:118 Even IF thou wert to bring to the People of the Book all the Signs (together), they would not follow thy Qibla; nor art thou going to follow their Qibla; nor indeed will they follow each other's Qibla. If thou after the knowledge hath reached thee, Wert to follow their (vain) desires,- then wert thou Indeed (clearly) in the wrong. S. 2:145 They say: "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord!" Say: "Allah hath certainly power to send down a Sign: but most of them understand not." S. 6:37 They swear their strongest oaths by Allah, that if a (special) sign came to them, by it they would believe. Say: "Certainly (all) Signs are in the power of Allah: but what will make you (Muslims) realize that (even) if (special) signs came, they will not believe."? S. 6:109 'Abdallah 'Abd al-Fadi comments: The Quraish said, "Muhammad, you tell us that Moses had a rod with which he struck the rock and twelve springs broke forth, and you tell us that Jesus raised people from death, and that Thamud had a she-camel for a sign. Perform a miracle for us, then, so that we may believe you and believe in you." Muhammad said, "What thing do you wish?" They

said, "To turn Al-Safa [a mountain] into gold, or bring back from death some of our dead folk to ask them whether what you say is true or false. Show us also angels testifying to you." Muhammad said, "If I do some of what you say, will you believe?" They answered, "Yes, by God, If you do, we shall follow you all together." Muhammad stood up and prayed to God to turn Al-Safa into gold. But Gabriel came to him and said, 'You have whatever you wish: If you wish, it will be gold, but if they do not believe you we will cast them away, and if you wish we will leave them until ones destined to repentance repent." Muhammad said, "I wish that they repent." And so Muhammad worked his way out of having to perform a miracle! (Is the Qur'an Infallible, [Light of Life, PO Box 13 A-9503 VILLACH AUSTRIA], p. 371) Reading further in the Quran: They say: "Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?" Say: "The Unseen is only for Allah (to know), then wait ye: I too will wait with you." S. 10:20 And the Unbelievers say: "Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?" But thou art truly a warner, and to every people a guide. 13:7 The Unbelievers say: "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?" Say: "Truly Allah leaveth, to stray, whom He will; But He guideth to Himself those who turn to Him in penitence,-" S. 13:27 And We refrain from sending the Signs, only because the men of former generations treated them as false: We sent the She-camel to the Thamd - a visible Sign-, but they treated her wrongfully: We only send the Signs by way of frightening (and warning from evil). S. 17:59 The late Muslim scholar Muhammad Asad comments on S. 17:59: " This highly elliptic sentence has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Qur'an as a whole. In many places the Qur'an stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite his being the last and greatest of God's apostles, was not empowered to perform miracles similar to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His only miracle was and is the Qur'an itself- a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness, destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not merely to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, whatever his race or social environment, and bound to remain unchanged forever. Since the earlier prophets invariably appealed to their own community and their own time alone, their teachings were, of necessity, circumscribed by the social and intellectual conditions of that particular community and time; and since the people to whom they addressed themselves ha not yet reached the stage of independent thinking, those prophets stood in need of symbolic portents or miracles (see surah 6, note 94) in order to make the people concerned realize the inner truth of their mission. The message of the Qur'an, on the other hand, was revealed at a time when mankind (and, in particular, that pat of it which inhabited the regions marked by the

earlier, Judeo-Christian religious development) had reached a degree of maturity which henceforth enabled it to grasp an ideology as such without the aid of those persuasive portents and miraculous demonstrations which in the past, as the above verse points out, only too often gave rise to new, grave misconceptions." (Asad, The Meaning of the Qur'an, Dar Al-Andalus Limited 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar rpt. 1993], pp. 427-428, n. 71; bold emphasis ours) That Asad's explanation is rather forced is seen by the fact that it was the People of the Book and the pagans that demanded Muhammad to perform miracles to prove his prophethood. Hence, maturity had nothing to do with it since in every age man expects supernatural verification from one claiming to speak on God's behalf. They say: "We shall not believe in thee, until thou cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth, Or (until) thou have a garden of date trees and vines, and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst, carrying abundant water; Or thou cause the sky to fall in pieces, as thou sayest (will happen), against us; or thou bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face: Or thou have a house adorned with gold, or thou mount a ladder right into the skies. No, we shall not even believe in thy mounting until thou send down to us a book that we could read." Say: "Glory to my Lord! Am I aught but a man,- a messenger?" S. 17:90-93 Here is Asad's note on 17:93: " A reply to this demand of believers is found in verse 7 of Al-An'am, revealedaccording to Suyuti- shortly after the present surah. But the allusion to this and the preceding 'conditions' is not merely historical: it illustrates a widely prevalent, psychologically contradictory attitude of the mind- a strange mixture of prima-facie scepticism and primitive credulity which makes belief in a prophetic message dependent on the prophet's 'performing miracles' (cf. 6:37 and 109 and 7:203). Since the ONLY miracle granted by God to Muhammad is the Qur'an itself (see the first part of verse 59 of this surah, as well as note 71 above), he is bidden, in the next passage, to declare that these demands are irrelevant and, by implications, frivolous." (Ibid., p. 433, n. 109 bold emphasis ours) But (now), when the Truth has come to them from Ourselves, they say, "Why are not (Signs) sent to him, like those which were sent to Moses?" Do they not then reject (the Signs) which were formerly sent to Moses? They say: "Two kinds of sorcery, each assisting the other!" And they say: "For us, we reject all (such things)!" S. 28:48 Nay, here are Signs self-evident in the hearts of those endowed with knowledge: and none but the unjust reject Our Signs. Ye they say: "Why are not Signs sent down to him from his Lord?" Say: "The signs are indeed with Allah: and I am indeed a clear Warner." And is it not enough for them that we have sent down to thee the Book which is rehearsed to them? Verily, in it is Mercy and a Reminder to those who believe. S. 29:49-51

Al-Fadi quotes al-Baidawi's commentary on the above passage: Al-Baidawi said: "'Why have signs not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' as [was the case with] the she-camel of Salih, the rod of Moses and the table of Christ Jesus. 'Say: The signs are only with God,' who sends them down to whomever he wills. I do not possess them, so as to be able to perform what you suggest. 'I am only a plain warner'; I have nothing to do but to warn." (Is the Qur'an Infallible?, p. 369; bold emphasis ours) Muslim Faruq Sherif notes: "Apart from its assertion of its inimitability and its reference to the Prophet's ascension (if taken literally), the Qur'an does not attribute any miracles to the Prophet Muhammad was often challenged by the pagans to produce miracles; his reply was that God makes miracles appear when he wills, but that the miracles which were performed by the prophets in the past were powerless to convince the people, who treated them as lies and sorcery. "The pagans' persistent challenge embarrassed the Prophet who, reciting the Qur'an, always laid emphasis on the miracles bestowed by Allah not only on Moses and Jesus but also lesser figures such as Salih and Solomon. If, asked the pagans, Allah empowered Moses to dry the sea, and Jesus to bring the dead back to life, why did He not send down a miraculous sign to confirm Muhammad such as by enabling him to cause a spring to gush forth from a rock, by giving him a well-watered orchard, or a house adorned with gold, or a treasure, by sending angels to accompany him on earth, by exempting him from the necessity of eating and walking in the market, by permitting him to mount to heaven and bring back a written confirmation of his mission, or by causing a piece of the sky to fall upon the unbelievers and crush them? (XVII. 92-95, XX.133) "To all this the Prophet's answer was: I am only a man and a warner; signs are in Allah's hands, and those which were revealed to the former generations did not make them less intransigent "Accordingly Muhammad declared that his unquestionable miracle was the revelation of the Qur'an. Nevertheless the pagans' questions troubled his mind, and his bewilderment brought reproaches from Allah: 'In case you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to you,' says the Qur'an in X.94, 'perhaps you feel inclined to suppress a part of what has been revealed to you, being distressed at heart lest they say why has not a treasure been sent down to him or why an angel has not come with him; but you are only a warner''(XI.14). 'If you find their aversion hard to bear, seek if you can a tunnel in the earth or a ladder to the sky by which you may bring them a sign' (VI.35). (Sherif, A Guide to the Contents of the Qur'an [Garnet Publishing Limited; UK 1995], pp. 62, 63; bold emphasis ours) Muslim Akbarally Meherally quotes Huston Smith with approval:

"Huston Smith was a professor of Philosophy at Washington University. He writes in his book, The Religions of Man: In an age charged with supernaturalism, when miracles were accepted as the stock-intrade of the most ordinary saint, Muhammed refused to traffic with human weakness and credulity. To miracle-hungry idolaters seeking signs and portents he cut the issue clean: 'God has not sent me to work wonders; He has sent me to preach to you. My Lord be praised! Am I more than a man sent as an apostle? From the first to the last he resisted every impulse to glamorize his own person 'I am only a preacher of God's words, the bringer of God's message to mankind.' If signs be sought, let them not be of Muhammed's greatness but of God's, and for these one need only open one's eyes Only one miracle is claimed, that of the Koran itself. That he by his own devices could have produced such truth-this was the one naturalistic hypothesis he could not accept. (Meherally, Understanding the Bible through Koranic messages [A.M. Trust P.O. Box 82584, Burnaby, B.C. Canada, 1989], p. 99) Hence, the unbelievers rejection of Muhammad was justifiable in light of Muhammad's failure to provide any supernatural proof for his alleged Apostleship. This means that Muhammad's killing sprees were wrong and downright evil since they were not done with God's backing. One cannot be expected to submit to a man who failed to prove his prophetic claims. This is unlike Moses and Jesus who proved their claims with miraculous signs and wonders, leaving no doubt that God was with them and was supernaturally approving their mission: "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt-to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel." Deuteronomy 34:10-12 "Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." John 10:37-38 "Jesus answered: 'Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." John 14:9-11 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to

you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'" John 15:18-25 Third, we reproduce the relevant sections of my rebuttal to Osama Abdullah which deals with most of the NT passages cited by Menj: Let us look at the context to see the point Jesus was trying to make: "Then Jesus asked them, When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything? Nothing, they answered. He said to them, But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: "And he was numbered with the transgressors"; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment. The disciples said, See, Lord, here are two swords. That is enough, he replied." Luke 22:35-38 The context clearly demonstrates that Jesus was telling his disciples to provide for themselves, since he would be taken away from them in order to fulfill prophecy. The command of purchasing a sword refers to a dagger that would be placed in a person's pouch while on a journey. People often carried such daggers in order to protect from highway bandits who would often kill their victims after plundering them. Interestingly, it is Muhammad and his followers that often raided caravans for plunder. Hence, Jesus was warning his followers to protect themselves from people that had the same mentality as Osama's prophet! Second, Osama lies when he says that Jesus claimed that we are to love our enemies as ourselves. Here is what Jesus did in fact say: "You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48 Yet loving one's enemy doesn't mean that we are to allow violence and injustice to go unpunished. In fact, to guarantee peace it becomes necessary at times to punish those who would oppose it.

Therefore, part of Jesus' mission as the Prince of Peace entails the eradication of any and all obstacles that would seek to hinder peace: "All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you." 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great. Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh." Revelation 19:11-21 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha

and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Revelation 21:1-8 This is called justice, not violence. Osama also lies when he says that Jesus killed people. In his link, he appeals to several passages to prove his case. Let us quote these passages in context: "While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. "Put this money to work," he said, "until I come back." But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, "We don't want this man to be our king." He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. The first one came and said, "Sir, your mina has earned ten more." "Well done, my good servant!" his master replied. "Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities." The second came and said, "Sir, your mina has earned five more." His master answered, "You take charge of five cities." Then another servant came and said, "Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow." His master replied, "I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?" Then he said to those standing by, "Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas." "Sir," they said, "he already has ten!" He replied, "I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them - bring them here and kill them in front of me."" Luke 19:11-27 It is clear from the context that Jesus is referring to his return as King of kings and Lord of lords to repay all men for all that they have done. Since those who rejected Jesus as King deserved their punishment, we really fail to see how this proves Osama's point, especially since he himself believes in a day of judgment where all who reject Allah and his prophet will be condemned to eternal hell fire. Osama claims that Revelation 2:23 shows Jesus killing the kids of his enemies. Let us quote the context and see if he is correct:

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make THOSE WHO COMMIT ADULTERY WITH HER SUFFER INTENSELY, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations - He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery - just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 2:18-29 It is clear from the context that children here refer to Jezebel's followers, not to literal kids. The term children is often used to describe a person's followers as the following passages demonstrate: "I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church." 1 Corinthians 4:14-17 "She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark." 1 Peter 5:13 "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." 1 John 2:1 Again, peace does not entail that Jesus should overlook sins. Rather, true peace entails the complete eradication of all obstacles that seek to hinder it. Here is the final reference that Osama quotes to prove that Jesus used a sword and therefore contradicted himself:

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:32-39 The sword that Jesus was obviously referring to is the sword of division, as both the context and the Lukan parallel demonstrate: "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-inlaw against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." Luke 12:49-53 Jesus is simply stating that trusting in him may result in the loss of family, friends and loved ones. Jesus is telling his followers beforehand that to be true disciples they must be willing to forsake all for Christ. The result of doing so will be eternal life: "Peter answered him, We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us? Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." Matthew 19:27-30 Hence, Osama's red herrings do not prove his point nor do they refute the fact that his prophet made false predictions. (http://answeringislam.org/Responses/Osama/holy_ones3.htm) This means that the only contradictions are those imposed by Menj's misreading of the NT. As far as Jesus cleansing the temple is concerned, we quote the passages to see the reason why he did it:

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of robbers. The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. Mark 11:15-18 The IVP NT Commentary series states in regards to the Matthean parallel: The money changers probably did not see themselves as taking advantage of the pilgrims. Even in Galilee the varieties of local currency required money changers to convert coinage for use in the temple (and local economy); changing coins was necessary, not an option (see Goodman 1983:57; E. Sanders 1992: 63-65). Further, the temple money changers seem to have made little if any profit (m. Seqalim 1.6-7), though Jerusalem undoubtedly profited from the resultant trade. We have no evidence that the priestly aristocracy made a direct profit (pace Reicke 1974:168). Because Jesus opposed the buyers as well as the sellers, he probably was not criticizing economic exploitation or high prices (pace Gundry 1982:413). Jesus probably viewed the temple as morally and spiritually impure, as the Qumran sect also believed (compare 1QpHab 9.4-5; CD 5.6-7). Yet Jesus was not simply seeking to renew the temple's holiness (compare m. Berakot 9:5; Mal 3:1-4). He could have symbolized a mere purifying of the temple by pouring out water; overturning tables signified something more ominous (E. Sanders 1985:70). Jesus defends Gentiles' worship. That the selling occurred in the outer court, beyond which Gentiles could not travel, may have been significant (compare Jos. Ant. 12.145; 15.417). Later reports claim that the front court of the temple was normally to be kept clear as a sacred area (compare m. Berakot 9.5), but the many temporary shops for selling animals inside would have violated this custom even if they took up but a small part of the temple area. Matthew claims that Jesus quoted two texts, Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. In Isaiah 56 God promises to accept foreigners and eunuchs (previously banned-Deut 23:1) as members of his people, declaring that his temple will welcome all peoples; indeed, its purpose had been universalistic from the start (1 Kings 8:41-43). But by Jesus' day (in contrast to the Old Testament temple) a partition with warning signs segregated Gentiles from the Israelite section of the outer court (Jos. War 5.194; 6.124-26; Ant. 15.417), probably for purity reasons (women were similarly considered less pure than men; compare also 11QTemple 3-48). Concern for the sanctity of this outer court, hence for the worship of the Gentiles, may have been part of Jesus' objection to the current temple order (pace E. Sanders 1985:67-68). But that Matthew deletes the words "for all nations" from Mark's quotation may suggest that he wishes to lay the emphasis elsewhere-perhaps especially on the next quotation (Jer 7:11). (Source; bold emphasis ours)

It is clear that Jesus act was done on behalf of the Gentiles who were being ignored and neglected. Jesus concern for the Gentiles demonstrates that God loves them just as much as he loves the Jews and that Gods temple is a place where all nations can gather to worship him. In the words of King Solomon: As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name- for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name. 1 Kings 8:41-43 MENJ: Proper use of force can usually take place within a system of law which is enforced by a legitimate authority. Wars and violence are often the result of a lack of existence of such a system of law and a legitimate authority to enforce it. This was the case in the Arabian peninsula where different tribes lived without any well-defined system of law and without any recognized authority to enforce it. The world as a whole has also been in a similar situation so far. There are often wars because there is no well-established system of law and no legitimate authority to enforce it. After the World War II such a system is slowly evolving. But this process will not succeed without the principles of faith in God and the hereafter and of the brotherhood/sisterhood of all human beings. It is one of the missions of Islam to establish these principles in the world and to thereby lead it to peace and stability. That is, what the Prophet(P) achieved during his life in Arabia in terms of reconciling the hearts of the various Arab tribes, Islam wants to achieve in the world as a whole by reconciling different nations and groups and to bring them under a single brotherhood/sisterhood serving the one true transcendent God. RESPONSE: Menj addresses straw man here and tosses out red herrings. No one is questioning whether the proper use of force is necessary in order to maintain a just and peaceful society. The question centers on whether Muhammad was right for imposing HIS LAWS upon others and was justified for killing those who rejected his claims to prophethood. In light of the absence of any supernatural divine intervention backing up Muhammads claim, the answer is quite obvious. Muhammad was wrong for using violence and bloodshed to impose his claims and laws upon others seeing that he was a false prophet. MENJ: As it is well known, the Prophet Muhammad(P) engaged in warfare, most of the time defensive. This use of force proceeds from love. Before the Prophet(P), Arabia was inhabited by tribes who were not under any system of law enforced by a legitimate authority. There was no mechanism to settle disputes which often led to feuds that

continued for many generations. The Prophet Muhammad(P) united these tribes into a single brotherhood so that there may not be any violence. The Qur'n itself refers to this: And remember the favour of God on you: how you were enemies and He reconciled your hearts so that you became as brothers by the grace of God; and how you were at the brink of an abyss of fire and He saved you from it (Qur'n, 3:103) This unification, however, could not have taken place without resistance which made some warfare necessary. RESPONSE: We are glad that Menj implicitly admits that not all of Muhammads wars were defensive in nature. Interestingly, Islam as a mechanism failed to achieve true lasting peace and unity amongst the Arabs. Shortly after Muhammads death, the Muslims started fighting and killing each other! The following series of articles demonstrates the extreme violence and brutal killings which plagued the Muslim Umma shortly after Muhammads death: http://answering-islam.org/Silas/rf1_mhd_wealth.htm http://answering-islam.org/Silas/rf2_newking.htm http://answering-islam.org/Silas/rf3_uthman_murder.htm http://answering-islam.org/Silas/rf4_ali_aisha.htm http://answering-islam.org/Silas/rf5_ali_muawiya.htm http://answering-islam.org/Silas/rf6_yazid_husayn.htm This means that Islam failed to achieve true peace and unity for its first adherents. In the words of the Lord Jesus: Put your sword back in its place, Jesus said to him, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Matthew 26:52 MENJ: During all the battles that the Prophet(P) fought, only a few hundred people were killed. And after victory all those who for years fought the Prophet(P) were forgiven. There was nothing like the treatment of the subjugated people that we see in the Bible. When the city of Makkah was conquered, the Qur'n did not tell the Prophet(P) to kill everything that breathes but rather said the following:

RESPONSE: Aside from Menj's cheap shot against the Holy Bible, let us see if whether Muhammad truly forgave all his enemies: "The apostle of Allah entered through Adhakhir, [into Mecca], and prohibited fighting. He ordered six men and four women to be killed, they were (1) Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahl, (2) Habbar Ibn al-Aswad, (3) Abd Allah Ibn Sa'd Ibn Abi Sarh, (4) Miqyas Ibn Sababah al-Laythi, (5) al-Huwayrith Ibn Nuqaydh, (6) Abd Abbah Ibn Hilal Ibn Khatal al-Adrami, (7) Hind Bint Utbah, (8) Sarah, the mawlat (enfranchised girl) of Amr Ibn Hashim, (9) Fartana and (10) Qaribah. (Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (Book of the Major Classes), p. 168; bold emphasis ours) The reason why Muhammad wanted Abd Allah Ibn Sad Ibn Abi Sarh killed is because he was a Muslim who use to change the revelation with Muhammads approval. This led him to doubt Muhammads prophethood and so apostatized. He would go around telling people how he had changed the revelation and that he was just as inspired as Muhammad. Ali Dashti writes: "The last man named [in the list of people to be killed] had been one of the scribes employed at Medina to write down the 'revelations'. On a number of occasions, with Muhammad's consent, he changed the closing words of verses. For example, when Muhammad said And God is mighty and wise, Abdullah Sarh suggested 'knowing and wise', and the prophet answered that there was no objection. Having observed a succession of changes of this type, Abdullah renounced Islam on the ground that the revelations, if from God, could not be changed at the prompting of a scribe such as himself. After his apostasy, he went to Mecca and joined the Qorayshites." (Dashti, 23 Years, A Study of the prophetic career of Muhammad [Allen and Unwin, London, 1985], p. 98; bold emphasis ours) The Muslim records state: "The apostle had instructed his commanders when they entered Mecca only to fight those who resisted them, except a small number who were to be killed even if they were found beneath the curtains of the Kaba. Among them was Abdullah Sa'd, brother of the B. Amir Luayy. The reason he ordered him to be killed was that he had been a Muslim and used to write down revelation; then he apostatized and returned to Quraysh [Mecca] and fled to Uthman Affan whose foster brother he was. The latter hid him until he brought him to the apostle after the situation in Mecca was tranquil, and asked that he might be granted immunity. They allege that the apostle remained silent for a long time till finally he [Muhammad] said yes [granting Abdullah immunity from the execution order]. When Uthman had left he [Muhammad] said to his companions who were sitting around him, I kept silent so that one of you might get up and strike off his head! One of the Ansar said, "Then why didn't you give me a sign, O apostle of God? He answered that

a prophet does not kill by pointing." (Guillaume, Life of Muhammad, p. 550; bold emphasis ours) And: "A person of al-Ansar had taken a vow to kill Ibn Abi Sarh [the already mentioned Abdullah] if he saw him. Uthman whose foster brother he (Ibn Abi Sarh) was, came and interceded for him with the prophet. The Ansari was waiting for the signal of the prophet to kill him. Uthman interceded and he [Muhammad] let him go. The apostle of Allah said to the Ansari, Why did you not fulfill your vow? He said, O apostle of Allah! I had my hand on the hilt of the sword waiting for your signal to kill him. The prophet said signaling would have been a breach of faith. It does not behave the prophet to make signal. (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, p. 174; bold emphasis ours) This concludes this part. Part 2 to follow right after, Lord Jesus willing.

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