Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

Response to: Can I trust that Islam will get me into Heaven?
By: C.L. Edwards from Calling Muslims website.

It is always interesting to read how Extremist Christians, anti-Muslims think. One such person is the propagandist Mr. Edwards. One of his more recent attacks against Islam, sponsored by his inanity rests on the topic of Salvation. Let’s take a look at what he says:

Most Muslims believe they will enter Jannah(Islamic heaven) based on their confession of the Shahadah(Statement of Faith) and doing good deeds, like Praying, giving Zakat(Charity) etc. Most Muslims fill some assurance they will make it into Jannah despite knowing they sin just like every other human being, because of their status of being Muslims. But consider these facts taken from authentic Islamic sources.

What is quite funny is that Mr. Edwards begins his intellectually fraudulent discourse by appealing to the fallacy of hasty generalization, and then he quite expectedly, rests his assertion upon not a single citation, to show atleast some majority of Muslims believe what he asserts. It is a common problem for persons who are wholly uneducated in Islam to understand the vast topic of Salvation within the faith. To begin with, Muslims do not believe that “despite sinning”, that we gain heaven. We believe that through repenting for our sins and through God’s mercy that He will grant us Jannah (Paradise):

Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. – Suratul Baqarah (2) : 128.

Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident [what they concealed]. Those – I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. – Suratul Baqarah (2) : 160.

What’s even more embarrassing for him, is that the Qur’aan also clearly states that Allaah does not accept those sinners who do not repent from their evils, for they would be punished:

And that repentance is not of those who constantly commit sins, and when death approaches one of them, he says, “I repent now”, nor of those who die as disbelievers; for them, We have kept prepared a painful punishment. – Suratul Baqarah (4) : 18.

So Mr. Edward’s assertion is contradicted by the Qur’aan which clearly states that only those who sincerely repent gain His mercy of Jannah and those who sin and do not repent are to be painfully/ severely punished. He then goes on to say:

Yet he doesn’t tell them forcertain that if they do good works they will be forgiven.

After quoting Suratul Hujurat (49) : 14 about an ayat of hypocrites, Mr. Edwards continued to display his ignorance of Islamic theology. The problem here is that he is saying, Muhammad {saw} doesn’t guarantees these people heaven (as from the context of the ayah), because he (Muhammad {saw}) wasn’t sure of his own salvation. While that is an entire topic by itself, his interpretation is wrong. The proper theological exegesis (interpretation) of this ayat is that Muhammad {saw} is addressing munafiqeen (hypocrites), thus their doing of good works is hypocritical, therefore it will not avail them in the least:

The ignorant said, “We have accepted faith”; say, (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), “You have surely not accepted faith, but you should say ‘We have submitted’, for faith has not yet entered your hearts; and if you obey* Allah and His Noble Messenger, He will not reduce the reward of any of your deeds; indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (* By accepting faith and then obeying the commands). – Suratul Hujurat (49) : 14.

“According to Imam Bahgawi, this verse was revealed in connection with the Tribe of Banu Asad. A few members of that tribe came up to Prophet Muhammad {saw} in Madinah during a severe drought. These people were not sincere believers. They had expressed their Islam merely to demand help from the Muslim Sadaqat funds. As they were not believers in the real sense of the word, they were unaware of Islamic injunctions and manners. They spread filth and excrement on the streets of Madinah.” – Tafsir Maar’iful Qur’aan, page 148.   

He then forwards his ill fated premise based on his clearly laughable eisegesis (intellectually fraudulent interpretation), by ignoring the context of the ayah (hypocrites and their actions), he mistakenly (due to ignorance) attributes it to a hadith where it is said:

…..He (Muhammad {saw}) said, “As to him, by Allah, death has overtaken him, and I hope the best for him. By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me,”….. – Sahih al Bukhari : Volume 5 : Book 58 : Hadith 266.

He then on the same note goes on to make some statements of the same understanding:

……So we see that one may consider themselves Muslim, even a believer(Mumin) but you have no objective way of really knowing if you truly are in Allah’s eyes, at least until you die and are resurrected. Not even Muhammad himself could be sure what his fate would be……

To begin with, the hadith in Sahih Al Bukhari is not referring to whether or not Muhammad {saw} will be granted Jannah as he himself says he would cross the Pulsiraat (the bridge between being judged and the gates of Jannah) first:

Allah will call them, and As-Sirat (a bridge) will be laid across Hell and I (Muhammad) shall be the first amongst the Apostles to cross it with my followers. – Sahih al Bukhari : Book 12 : Hadith 770.

As for the statement that He does not know what the Lord of the Worlds (Allaah) will do to him, then I do not see the problem with the statement, it is referring to the ‘Ilm ul Ghayb (Knowledge of the Unseen):

“Say: “None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allaah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected” – Suratul Naml (27) : 65.

“And with Him are the keys of the Ghayb (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in the land and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record” – Suratul An’aam (6) : 59.

Even this is confirmed in the Bible, that God knows, or God’s knowledge is not equal to man’s knowledge:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” – Bible: Matthew 24 : 36.

Mr. Edward’s arguments are so completely devoid of any logical reasoning, I consider it child’s play to have to write this rebuttal. I am deeply discontented with his challenge, a simple reading of the Qur’aan dispels all of his arguments and knowledge of some of the most common ahadith are enough to lay his inanity to rest, however let’s see more of what this propagandist has to offer:

“Here is more conclusive proof that no matter how hard you believe or how many good deeds you strive to do for Allah, He may decided to over ride what you have done and damn you to Hell anyway! Please read this authentic hadeeth that says, its your destiny not your faith or works that determine your end in Islam. “

What was his conclusive proof? A hadith that says that a good man can do evil, and in the end go to hell, whereas an evil man can do good and then go to heaven:

“Abdullah (b. Mas’ud) reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) who is the most truthful (of the human beings) and his being truthful (is a fact) said: Verily your creation is on this wise. The constituents of one of you are collected for forty days in his mother’s womb in the form of blood, after which it becomes a clot of blood in another period of forty days. Then it becomes a lump of flesh and forty days later Allah sends His angel to it with instructions concerning four things, so the angel writes down his livelihood, his death, his deeds, his fortune and misfortune. By Him, besides Whom there is no god, that one amongst you acts like the people deserving Paradise until between him and Paradise there remains but the distance of a cubit, when suddenly the writing of destiny overcomes him and he begins to act like the denizens of Hell and thus enters Hell, and another one acts in the way of the denizens of Hell, until there remains between him and Hell a distance of a cubit that the writing of destiny overcomes him and then he begins to act like the people of Paradise and enters Paradise.” – Sahih Muslim : Book 33 : Hadith 6390.

God is all knowing, therefore God knows what a person’s life is destined to be, part of being all knowing, is to know the past (to us), present (to us) and future (t0 us). However God knows the past, present and future. Therefore God will know what will happen to persons. A man may be a believer and then up becoming a disbeliever (acting like the people of the fire). It makes perfect sense, this has nothing to do with God removing ‘aql (free will) from man and damning them to hell. It has to do with God knowing what will happen to these two sets of people, one may start as a believer and end up as a disbeliever and vice versa.

Mr. Edwards then returns with his deceits once more:

“……but Islam teaches that everyone will enter Hell Fire, not just non-Muslims.”

You can pretty much predict the ayat he would use:

” Not one of you there is, but he shall go down to IT; that for thy Lord is a thing decreed, determined.” – Mr. Edward’s interpretation of Suratul Maryam (19) : 71.

What does “go down to it” even mean? They ayah is referring to the Siraat or the Bridge which one would have to cross over to go to Jannah, as referenced above:

Allah will call them, and As-Sirat (a bridge) will be laid across Hell and I (Muhammad) shall be the first amongst the Apostles to cross it with my followers. – Sahih al Bukhari : Book 12 : Hadith 770.

Which is why the ayah really says:

“Not one of you but will pass over it: this is, with thy Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished.” – Suratul Maryam (19) : 71.
وَإِنْ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِ‌دُهَا ۚ كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَ‌بِّكَ حَتْمًا مَقْضِيًّا

Look at the difference between his statement, and what the Qur’aan actually says, for him to fight against Islam, as the Christian he is, he had to reinterpret the ayah and reject the real meaning! Perhaps he can show us where in the Arabic which I provided above it says everyone will enter hell. The challenge stands Mr. Edwards. What’s funny is how over enthusiastic he became after he incorrectly quoted the ayah:

“Did you catch that? Everyone will go down into “it”  and the context tells you the “it” that is being discussed is Hell.”

Somehow I have a very strong notion that he will not be able to defend his errors when confronted with them. It is clear as day that he has emendated (changed for the purpose of bettering his argument) the interpretation and English text of the Qur’aan. It is indeed a shameful plunge into the realms of intellectual dishonesty that this Extremist Christian Polemic has ended up within.

He then goes on to state:

“Islam offers no sure way of ever saving yourself, no assurance of salvation, because even if you think you really believe and have done goods, you can not know for sure until you die and are resurrected and find out if you get rescued out of Hell.”

Actually, the very second page (Chapter 2) of the Qur’aan would like to differ, how funny is it that the refutation for his statement comes from the second Surah of the Qur’aan? The very first 5 lines (ayat) are the answer to his question:

“This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah; Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them; And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter. They are on (true) guidance, from their Lord, and it is these who will prosper. – Suratul Baqarah (2) : 2 – 5.

He then goes on to further contradict Islamic sources:

“And your Shaykh, your Imam, not even Muhammad himself can save you.”

Whereas the hadith says:

“The Messenger or Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: So they would come to me and I would ask the permission of my Lord and it would be granted to me, and when I would see Him, I would fall down in prostration, and He (Allah) would leave me thus as long as He would wish, and then it would be said: O Muhammad, raise your head, say and you would be heard; ask and it would be granted; intercede and intercession would be accepted.” – Sahih Muslim : Book 1 : Hadith 373.

He has been fully refuted, as usual, he ends his posts with erratic, misconstrued and illogical posts from the Bible, specifically about Jesus being the source of salvation for their sins, this has been previously responded to in this article.

Can Mr. Edwards respond in an academic manner to this post or shall he Call Muslims yet not be able to answer them?
wa Allaahu Alam.
[and God knows best].