My rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's "The Quran Affirms: Paul Passed on the True Gospel of Christ" article:
This article is a refutation to Sam Shamoun's article, which is located at: http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/quran_affirms_paul.htm
He wrote:
The Quran Affirms:
It may come as a surprise to some to hear that the Quran implicitly affirms that the
teachings of the Apostle Paul, which has become the foundation of Christianity, are
derived from Christ. In other words, the Quran indirectly testifies that Paul’s
theology wasn’t something that he simply concocted in order to win converts from the
Gentiles, but came from God through Christ.
Before presenting the evidence, we would first like to clarify our reasons for appealing to the Quran. We do not believe that the Quran is God’s Word. However, we do believe that the Quran is an early record of what the first Muslims believed. As such, the Quran becomes an important source of information for discovering the official beliefs of the first Muslims.
In light of this, it bears repeating that the Quran testifies that the Christianity proclaimed by Paul (i.e., "Pauline" Christianity) is true Christianity.
My response:
So far there is nothing of substance to argue about here.
He wrote:
We base our position on the Quranic claim that Christ’s true believers would prevail over the unbelievers till the Day of Resurrection:
Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee SUPERIOR to those who reject faith, TO THE DAY OF RESURRECTION: Then shall ye all return unto Me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute." S. 3:55
O ye who believe! Be ye helpers of Allah: as said Jesus the son of Mary to the Disciples, "Who will be my helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the Disciples, "We are Allah's helpers!" then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved: But We gave power to those who believed against their enemies, AND THEY BECAME THE ONES THAT PREVAILED. S. 61:14
According to these passages, Allah gave Christ’s followers the power to prevail over the disbelievers, and made them superior till the day of resurrection. Yet the ones that prevailed were the Apostles such as Paul, as well as his followers. This means that if the Quran is correct, then Paul’s message is the truth since it has become dominant and has prevailed over all other opposing messages.
Sayyid Qutb comments on S. 3:55:
... It was also the will of God to elevate the followers of Jesus above the unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection ...
It is not difficult, on the other hand, to explain God’s statement that He had placed those who follow Jesus above the unbelievers, and that this elevation continues until the Day of Resurrection. Those who follow Jesus are the ones who believe in God’s true religion, Islam, or surrender to God. Every prophet is fully aware of the true nature of this religion. Every messenger preached the same religion and everyone who truly believes in the Divine faith believes in it. These believers are indeed far superior to the unbelievers according to God’s measure, and they will continue to be so until the Day of Judgement. Moreover, they prove their superiority in our practical life every time they confront the forces of un-faith with the true nature of faith and the reality of following God’s messengers. The Divine faith is one, as preached by Jesus, son of Mary, as preached by every messenger sent before him and by the messenger sent after him. Those who follow Muhammad at the same time follow all the messengers sent by God, starting with Adam until the last messenger. (In the Shade of the Qur’an - Fi Zilal al-Qur’an, Volume 2, Surah 3, translated and edited by Adil Salahi & Ashur Shamis [The Islamic Foundation, 2000], pp. 97-98)
The problem with Qutb’s claim is that the Christian believers that prevailed over all were not Muslims and their message certainly wasn’t Islam. Hence, either the true followers of Christ were vanquished, thus falsifying the Quran which says that they would dominate. Or, the Quran is false since it contradicts the true message of Christ’s followers.
Maulana Muhammad Ali writes regarding S. 3:55:
... This verse contains four promises relating to Jesus’ triumph over his enemies as against their plans ... And the fourth promise is that those who follow Jesus shall be made dominant over his rejectors till the day of Judgment. The truth of this fourth prophecy is witnessed TO THIS DAY in the dominance of the Christians over the Jews. (Ali, Holy Quran [Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore Inc. USA, 1995], pp. 147-148, fn. 439; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Here are his statements regarding S. 61:14:
... The description applies to the triumph of the teachings of Christ over those who opposed the dissemination of his teachings, and speaks prophetically of the ultimate triumph of Islam over all other religions of the world. (Ibid., p. 1058, fn. 2501; bold emphasis ours)
Ali fails to mention that the teachings that dominated were those passed on by Paul (which is actually the same message preached by Christ and the other disciples)!
A. Yusuf Ali, in his translation The Holy Qur’an - Text and Commentary, p. 1543, footnote 5448, states:
A portion of the Children of Israel - the ones that really cared for Truth - believed in Jesus and followed his guidance. But the greater portion of them were hard-hearted, and remained in their beaten track of formalism and false racial pride. The majority seemed at first to have the upper hand when they thought they had crucified Jesus and killed his Message. But they were soon brought to their senses. Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus in A.D. 70 and the Jews have been scattered ever since. "The Wandering Jew" has become a bye-word in many literatures. On the other hand, those who followed Jesus PERMEATED the Roman Empire, brought many new races within their circle, and through the Roman Empire, Christianity became the predominant religion of the world until the advent of Islam ... (bold and capital emphasis ours)
What this Ali failed to note is that the form of Christianity that permeated the Roman Empire is what Muslims degradingly call "Pauline" Christianity. Hence, that Paul’s message dominated is a sign that his Gospel was that which God entrusted to Christ’s true followers. If it were argued that Paul’s version of Christianity is an aberration of the truth, this then means that the Quran is wrong for claiming that God had caused Christ’s true followers to prevail. It would mean that Paul was able to thwart Allah’s purposes, being able to prevent the true believers from dominating over their enemies.
Here are the late S. Abu Al’a Maududi’s comments on S. 61:14:
... Those who disbelieved in Jesus Christ are the Jews, and those who believed him are the Christians as well as the Muslims, and Allah granted them domination over the disbelievers of Christ. This is meant to requires [sic] the Muslims that just as the believers of Christ have dominated over his disbelievers in the past, so will the believers of the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace) prevail over disbelievers. (Meaning of the Qur’an, Volume V, english rendering by A.A. Kamal, M.A. [Islamic Publications (Pvt.) Limited, 13-E, Shahalam Market, Lahore-8 Pakistan], p. 516, fn. 21; underline emphasis ours)
As we had noted earlier, the obvious problem with Maududi’s explanation is that the message of Christ’s true believers directly contradicts the message of Islam. That is, unless one wants to claim that Christ’s true message got distorted and a false message prevailed over it, a claim which then contradicts the plain reading of the passages in question.
As Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi, while commenting on the last part of S. 61:14, states:
... (and neither the Messenger NOR THE MESSAGE could be destroyed). (Tafsir-Ul-Qur’an Translation and Commentary of the Holy Qur’an, Volume IV [Darul-Ishaat Urdu Bazar, Karachu-1, Pakistan; First edition: 1991], p. 356, fn. 270; capital emphasis ours)
Again, if "Pauline" Christianity is a corruption of Jesus’ true teachings then the message was destroyed and Allah failed to bring to pass what he said would happen!
Noted Muslim commentator Ibn Kathir’s statements are most interesting. Commenting on S. 3:54, he writes:
"This is what happened. When Allah raised ‘Isa to heaven, his followers divided into sects and groups. Some of them believed in what Allah sent ‘Isa as, a servant of Allah, His Messenger, and the son of His female-servant.
However, some of them went to the extreme over ‘Isa, believing that he was the son of Allah. Some of them said that ‘Isa was Allah Himself, while others said that he was one of a Trinity. Allah mentioned these false creeds in the Qur’an and refuted them. The Christians remained like this until the third century CE, when a Greek king called, Constantine, became a Christian for the purpose of destroying Christianity. Constantine was either a philosopher, or he was just plain ignorant. Constantine changed the religion of ‘Isa by adding to it and deleting from it. He established the rituals of Christianity and the so-called Great Trust which is in fact the Great Treachery. He also allowed them to eat the meat of swine, changed the direction of the prayer that ‘Isa established to the east, built churches for ‘Isa, and added ten days to the fast as compensation for a sin that he committed, as claimed. So the religion of ‘Isa became the religion of Constantine, who built more than twelve thousand churches, temples and monasteries for the Christians as well as the city that bears his name, Constantinople (Istanbul). THROUGHOUT THIS TIME, the Christians had the upper hand and dominated the Jews. ALLAH AIDED THEM AGAINST THE JEWS BECAUSE THEY USED TO BE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH THAN THE JEWS, even though both groups were and still are disbelievers, may Allah’s curse descend on them." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 2, Parts 3, 4, & 5 (Surat Al-Baqarah, Verse 253, to Surat An-Nisa, Verse 147), abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors Riyadh, Houston, New York, Lahore; First Edition: March 2000], p. 171; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Ibn Kathir’s explanation doesn’t solve the problem since if the Quran is correct then the Christianity that Ibn Kathir attacks is indeed the truth. Otherwise, Ibn Kathir’s comments imply that Allah either allowed a false form of Christianity to prevail, or failed to grant Christ’s true believers dominance over those seeking to pervert the true teachings of Christ!
Hence, Muslims are in a dilemma that they cannot easily resolve. Namely, to accept the Quran is to accept "Pauline" Christianity. Yet to accept "Pauline" Christianity is to reject the Quran, since the Quran contradicts the core teaching of Paul as has been preserved in the pages of the Holy Bible and amongst true Christians historically.
A Muslim may wish to argue that these verses refer to Muhammad and the Muslims as those who truly believe in Christ and dominate till the Resurrection Day. This explanation fails to resolve the issue. The passages do not say that Christ’s followers would only prevail from the time of Muhammad’s advent, but from the time that Christ was taken to God and unto the Day of Resurrection.
My response:
We first of all need to know who Jesus is in Islam. Jesus peace be upon him was Allah Almighty's Messenger to the People of Israel. His Message was simple: "They do blaspheme who say: 'God is Christ the son of Mary.' But said Christ: 'O Children of Israel ! worship God, my Lord and your Lord.' (The Noble Quran, 5:72)"
"And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, "We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our God and your God is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam)." (The Noble Quran, 29:46)"
"Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. (The Noble Quran, 112:1-4)"
"Then Praise be to Allah, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth- Lord and Cherisher of all the worlds! To Him be Glory throughout the heavens and the earth: and He is Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom!. (The Noble Quran, 45:36-37)"
"Say: 'O People of the Book (i.e., Jews and Christians)! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah.' If then they turn back, say ye: 'Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah's Will).' (The Noble Quran, 3:64)"
Please visit: What is the Wisdom of Islam?
The early Christians did not believe in the polytheist trinity paganism. Even Christians today don't agree on who Jesus really is. They all say "Jesus is the Son of God", but when one tries to dig deeper into what "Son of God" really means, he will find clear contradictions and conflicts among them. Some believe that Jesus is the Creater of the Universe, and some believe that Jesus is a Creation from GOD Almighty.
Trinity did not prevail in this world, and it will never prevail in this world. Up until the 1400s, Islam had the dominating power over the world. The Islamic Empire stretched from the borders of France all the way to the borders of China! The followers of Jesus are the modern Muslims of today. Anyone who believes in GOD Almighty as the Absolute One and True Living LORD, then he is a follower of Jesus peace be upon him.
Let us look at what Allah Almighty said in the Noble Quran about the polytheist pagan trinity that Paul invented:
"They do blaspheme who say: 'God is Christ the son of Mary.' But said Christ: 'O Children of Israel ! worship God, my Lord and your Lord.' (The Noble Quran, 5:72 )"
"They do blaspheme who say God is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. (The Noble Quran, 5:73)"
Jesus himself used the word "Muslim" during his ministry:
From www.answering-christianity.com/luke6_40.htm
Let us look at Luke 6:40 from my N.I.V. Bible "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."
Let us look at what Jesus said in Luke 6:40 in the language of Aramaic translated into Hebrew as shown below:
"Ein talmeed na'leh 'al rabbo; shekken kal adam she'MUSHLAM yihyeh
k'rabbo."
Taken from the Aramaic bible
society.
Note: Aramaic and Hebrew are read from right to
left, which is apposite to English.
Translation in English: "No student can be above
his teacher, but everyone that is a MUSLIM, can be as his teacher."
Important Note: The Hebrew word "Mushlam" comes from the root "Sh L M". "Shalom" which comes from the same root means "peace". The Arabic word "Muslim" comes from the root "S L M". "Salam" means "peace". "Salem" means "safe". Also taken from the Aramaic bible society.
Jesus peace be upon him spoke Aramaic during his ministry.
See Jesus predicting the coming of Muhammad after him in the Bible.
Paul was not a follower of Jesus. Paul never even met Jesus in person. Paul
actually used to persecute Christians. While going on his way to Damascus, he
claimed that Jesus appeared to him and anointed him to be "his apostle".
Paul, however, had proven himself to be a big liar in the Bible. Please visit:
Famous Theologians and Historians believe that Paul was not truthful.
Paul nullified and contradicted the point of Baptism.
Is circumcision allowed or not allowed in the Bible? See the clear contradiction between Jesus and Paul.
He wrote:
This is perhaps why men such as Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Kathir, al-Tabari and al-Thalabi could view Paul in such a positive light. They seemingly realized that Paul had a tremendous influence in the growth and spread of Christianity, and had been sovereignly used by God as his instrument of domination over the unbelievers. (see the article The Apostles of Christ: Messengers of God or Mere Disciples?)
To summarize the Islamic evidence, we discovered that
Yet, these factors introduce the following problems for the Muslims:
This concludes our paper. We pray that our risen Lord and immortal Savior will use this to bring precious Muslims into his glorious love and truth. Amen. Come Lord Jesus, come. We will always love you by God’s all powerful, sovereign grace.
My response:
Like I mentioned above, the early Christians rejected trinity. Islam also dominated a large part of the world for so many centuries. Allah Almighty also cursed in the Noble Quran those who follow the trinity lie. Therefore, trinity is not supported in the Noble Quran, and the followers of Jesus in the Noble Quran are those who Worship Allah Almighty as the Absolute One and True Living GOD Almighty. They are the Muslims. And like I showed above, Jesus himself used the word "Muslim" during his ministry.
The reason why trinity is stronger than Islam today is because the Muslims themselves are corrupted. This is no surprise. Allah Almighty did warn us from Muslim hypocrites and corruption. Please visit:
Muslims be careful from the Muslim hypocrites.
If the current Muslim nations are too corrupt, then Allah Almighty will change them with better ones. In this article I showed from the Noble Quran how Allah Almighty might be changing the current corrupt Muslim nations with new ones from the Western nations.
Back to My Rebuttals, and exposing the lies of the Answering Islam team section.
Rebuttals to Sam Shamoun's Articles section.
Contradictions and History of Corruption in the Bible.
Questions about Jesus that trinitarian Christians don't have logical answers for.
What parts of the Bible do Muslims believe are closest to the Truth? and Why?
"Allah" was GOD Almighty's original Name in the Bible according to the Hebrew and Aramaic sources.
Scientific Miracles in Islam and the Noble Quran.
Most of the Bible's books and gospels were written by mysterious people!
Jesus mentioned Muhammad by the name in the Bible.
Did Isaiah 53 really prophesies about the crucifixion of Jesus? It supports Islam's claims about Jesus peace be upon him never died on the cross. I also addressed John 19:36-37 from the Bible and proved that Jesus never got crucified, since GOD Almighty promised that he will protect Jesus' body and not let even a single bone be broken. My question to all Christians is: How in the world is it possible for the feet to get nailed on the cross without any penetration to the bones by the nails, hence breaking part of the feet's bones?! I also added refutations to Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12, Zechariah 12:10 and Psalm 34:20, which supposedly prove the Christians' belief about Jesus crucifixion. I proved that this dogma has no truth what so ever and exposed the wrong Trinitarian English translation of Zechariah 12:10.