Tag Archives: Sam Shamoun

Were the Disciples of Jesus, Christian?

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An introductory look into the New Testament “Disciples” for their bizarre relationship with their Master

Question Mark

Introduction

  

This is the final installment in our series of responses to Sam Shamoun for his alleged discovery of  “errors” in the Qur’an for it asserting original followers of Jesus (peace be upon him) to be “Muslims”!

To make his case, Shamoun quotes many passages from New Testament to portray belief system of the truest and sincerest disciples of Jesus (peace be upon him) to argue that such belief system could not have been endorsed by a disciple had he been Muslim! And as such, Shamoun claims, Qur’an is at historical “error” for claiming Jesus’ (peace be upon him) followers to be Muslims.

In the last part we showed that apart from well-known ‘Christian’ disciples, New Testament also contains many other followers of Jesus (peace be upon him) who came very close to the Qur’anic assertion that original followers of Jesus (peace be upon him) were Muslims and so the Qur’anic assertion cannot be outright denied even from New Testament’s point of view.

Nevertheless, because Shamoun brought up the issue of “disciples” and argued that the New Testament disciples were the original and truest disciples of Jesus (peace be upon him) therefore, in this paper, we are going to take a step further than Shamoun. Shamoun has used certain New Testament passages to portray the famous New Testament disciples of Jesus (peace be upon hm), however, as usual, he has conveniently ignored scores of other passages. We would have a fuller look into the quality of belief and loyalty that the New Testament “disciples” had for their master.

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Bookish Ignorance

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

While reading Mortimer Adler’s, “How to Read a Book”, I came across a paragraph that struck me as nothing short of pure brilliance.

cc-2013-bookish

The one person who immediately came to my mind was James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries. In as much as he tries to appear to be well read, his ignorance of Islamic theology, scripture and study is quite apparent to the most basically of educated Muslims. It’s ironic because in his videos he stands in front of what appears to be a library of books. The same can be said for the AI and AM teams. What I’ve taken from this book and especially this quote is despite people owning books and having read them, it does not make this person educated and surely in the cases of the men and groups I’ve mentioned previously, this is surely the reality of their situation(s).

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Does Qur’an validate Bible?

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Does Qur’an validate Bible?

A response to Sam Shamoun’s critique: Qur’an Error – Were Jesus’ Disciples Muslims?

 

Part1

 

Question Mark

Introduction

 

Christian evangelists and missionaries apply a standard argument upon Muslims that the Qur’an “validates” Bible! They especially use this argument against Muslims who are uninitiated in missionary tactics. Once a gullible Muslim is sufficiently duped into this cunning deception, “winning souls” into Christianity is not far off [1.].

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Br. Ibn Anwar of Unveiling Christianity Joins Calling Christians!

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

We’re proud to announce that the esteemed owner and author of Unveiling Christianity, Br. Ibn Anwar has officially joined the Calling Christians team as an author. Br. Ibn Anwar is renowned for his indepth scholarly articles that are well researched, studied and academically cited. His joining with us signals our continued efforts to make 2013 a blockbuster year for Calling Christians. Alongside our other authors, Br. Ibn Anwar expands our already growing team of young and talented Muslims who continue to be a thorn in the side of Christian missionaries worldwide. We look forward to his future contributions while we gather and post his previous articles on to the Calling Christians website. Some of our ‘fans’ though, will not be happy, case in point:

cc-shamoun-idiot

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Culture of Pornography

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

The Telegraph (UK – News) posted a very disturbing article recently concerning the ‘culture of porn’ in the world among the youth today. According to the report, it states:

“Never before has girlhood been under such a sustained assault – from ads, alcohol marketing, girls’ magazines, sexually explicit TV programmes and the hard pornography that is regularly accessed in so many teenager’s bedrooms,” says the psychologist Steve Biddulph, currently touring the country to promote a book called Raising Girls.

It is a follow-up to his best-seller Raising Boys – and they are under pressure too, being led to believe that girls will look and behave like porn stars. Our children are becoming victims of pornification.

I suggest that a more thorough read of the article is taken to grasp the full implications of the epidemic. Many usually condemn Islam for its strict laws on gender segregation, but as it turns out, Christian majority nations like the UK and the US are now facing serious issues with a porn enforced cultural heritage for their youth populations. The Qur’aan says concerning women:

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of feminine sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful” – [al-Noor 24:31]

“And as for women past childbearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment. But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them. And Allaah is All‑Hearer, All‑Knower” – [al-Noor 24:60]

Thus, Islam is clear on gender segregation and the importance of both men and women having to shield their bodies from one another. Unfortunately for Christians, there is no such verse or commandment in the New Testament concerning the hijab (covering) of women.  However, that would be a lie, as there is such a verse:

“But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.” – 1 Corinthians 11:5.

The famed Christian commentary, Barne’s Notes on the Bible explicitly states that this verse refers to the wearing of the hijab:

“With her head uncovered – That is, with the veil removed which she usually wore. It would seem from this that the women removed their veils, and wore their hair disheveled, when they pretended to be under the influence of divine inspiration. This was the case with the pagan priestesses; and in so doing, the Christian women imitated them. On this account, if on no other, Paul declares the impropriety of this conduct. It was, besides, a custom among ancient females, and one that was strictly enjoined by the traditional laws of the Jews, that a woman should not appear in public unless she were veiled. See this proved by Lightfoot in loco.”

Yet Christians are vehemently opposed to the hijab. So traumatic is the concept of wearing a hijab that when Mrs. Obama (the first lady) donned one, David Wood of the Answering Muslims blog blew a fuse and attacked her:

“Since the First Lady of the free world is now wearing a hijab so as not to offend Muslims, I’m wondering if she’s willing to go even further. Some Muslims will be offended unless Mrs. Obama wears a full burka, so she should probably order one if she doesn’t already have one. She’d better make sure she lowers her gaze in the presence of men, and she’d better not object to sex with Barack, since he’s now free to beat her if she gets out of line. Of course, she should now be fine with Barack marrying three other women (or three prepubescent girls), since Islam allows this. Someone should probably inform her that she is now officially half as intelligent as a man.”

Observe the rationale of David Wood’s perverted and sadistic mind. He links the hijab with women’s abuse and sex with prepubescent girls (both of which the Qur’aan and Islam outlaw). If David Wood is a conservative Christian as he claims to be, then shouldn’t he rejoice at the fact that Biblical belief about the hijab is being followed? In fact, David’s reaction is in line with statistics coming out of America’s Bible Belt. As it turns out, David is not the only Christian who detests when women have modesty:

While Texas may be perceived as a highly religious and conservative stronghold, deep in the heart of the Bible Belt, it’s beat out only by California, and Florida is a close 3rd in the number of adults actively looking for sex on the internet.

Are we making this up? Now way!

These revealing numbers are reported by one of the largest adult web sites on the internet. The numbers will really surprise you…

If you don’t already know, Adult Friend Finder is the largest sex and swinger personals web site on the internet today with 22,319,717 members. That’s almost identical to the population of Texas which is 23,507,783. Hmmm… That’s a lot of people on just this one website.

What is a sex and swinger personals web site? Well, it’s basically a dating site for singles and couples looking for sex. What many people don’t realize is that Adult Friend Finder gets more visitors every day than Match.com and eHarmony put together!

That’s no big surprise. But what IS a surprise is that Texas is ranked #2 in the number of subscribers to this web site.

Here is the state by state breakdown of the top sex enthusiasts in the U.S., according to Adult Friend Finder:

* California – 1.2 million (That’s 3.3% of the state population)
* Texas – 800,000 (That’s 3.4% of the state population)
* Florida – 743,000 (That’s 4.1% of the state population)
* New York – 660,000 (That’s 3.4% of the state population)
* Illinois – 429,000 (That’s 3.3% of the state population)

Wow, what’s truly amazing here is that Texas – the heart of the Bible Belt – is #2 in all of the U.S. with a larger percentage of the population subscribing than California!

Is Texas shedding it’s ultra conservative facade? Or will the truth remain buried behind closed doors with faceless pictures on the top sex personals sites like Adult Friend Finder? – Source.

Therefore, the conclusion is clear. While Islam calls for morality and shuns pornography (which degrades both men and women), the team at Answering Muslims and at Answering Islam both have a significant issue with women covering themselves. It’s very interesting to note that while Islam calls to modesty and to chastity, our opponents call for more nudity and thus have created a culture of pornography. This habit of claiming that the hijab oppresses and thus women should be free to ‘uncover’ themselves has caused such a ideology to be indoctrinated into the youth of Christian majority nations that we’ve reached the point where there is a ‘culture of pornography’. Children are filming sex acts amongst themselves in growing numbers, many of them being forced by their peers. Yet, while this is ongoing, morally bankrupt Christians such as Robert Spence, David Wood and Sam Shamoun rather attack the one religion that wants to save their kids from becoming victims of a culture of sexual abuse which they themselves encourage.

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Thanking Sam Shamoun for Our ‘Discussion’.

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

The Noble and Blessed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) narrated the follow authentic ahadith:

“Nothing is weightier on the Scale of Deeds than one’s good manners.” (Al-Bukhari)

“The Prophet of Allah was never obscene or coarse. Rather, he used to tell us that the best among us were those with the best manners.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim & At-Tirmidhi)

These words have never been more applicable to me, than today after my discussion with Sam Shamoun. To be quite honest I’ve been overwhelmed with the amount of messages that Calling Christians has received since the ‘discussion’ was published. A recurring trend continues to be noticed from among the Muslims and Christians in their numerous messages. As it would seem, despite Sam’s coarse and abusive statements, both Muslims and Christians alike found my behaviour to be admirable in light of what Sam was doing. I didn’t expect to be commended on something as basic as my decorum, but it really did awaken me to the reality of people’s humanity. Lest some say I am boasting of myself, I’d like to quote a message from a Christian brother on Paltalk, his native language is not English so please excuse his spelling:

“<<(01/30/13 3:46 PM EST)>> Hey Ijaz, I saw a videoclip posted by Sam shamoun on the topic of what exactly is the mosque spoken of in surah al isra verse 1. What i found to be very strange is this: He at one point asked you, in order to further strenghten his argument regarding the uncerinatiy of the verses in the quran, how can a reader of the quran know if Surah 17:1 is adressed to Muhammed. This was a very weak argument since when the quran is read in its overall context it becomes very clear that Muhammed is the one who is receiving the verses of the quran. This also makes sense in light of another verse in the quran that says it was revealed pice by pice, meaning more and more information will be disclosed as the revelation progresses”

“<<(01/30/13 4:18 PM EST)>> And one more thing ijaz, i noticed you kept yourself calm, you didn’t shout or became angry, i really admire you for that “

Due to Sam’s petulant and rabid tirade, I unconsciously demonstrated Islamic adab (manners and etiquette) by being patient, relaxed, calm, level headed despite being bullied and verbally assaulted by Sam Shamoun. I most certainly didn’t think that my behaviour would have impacted people to the extent it did, but I’m really elated to see that Christians who admire Sam have had their eyes opened and their hearts exposed to the harsh reality of Sam’s lowly character. Not only was this Christian able to refute Sam’s position, but they even had the self respect to commend me on my decorum. This is most certainly a sincere Christian brother. Therefore, even though Sam believed he was doing a service by insulting me and screaming at me, the reality of the situation is that Christians themselves have been given a prime example of how Islam teaches a Muslim to behave and how Christianity teaches a Christian to behave (after all, Sam claimed his behaviour was Biblically based).

As of this point, I can do nothing but express thanks to Sam Shamoun for opening the eyes of his congregation to the truth of Islam. I really can’t express just how much Sam is doing to further the cause of Islamic da’wah, May Allaah ta ‘ala continue to use Sam Shamoun to guide Christians to Islam, Ameen.

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Debate: Sam Shamoun vs Ijaz Ahmad, “Is Masjid al Haram in Makkah?”

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

I can’t necessarily call this a debate, as Sam Shamoun would ask me 5 – 6 questions, give me 10 seconds to answer and then spend 5 minutes at a time calling me names such as punk, idiot, fool, child, deceiver etc. The video length is roughly 30 minutes, in total Sam speaks for about 25 minutes and I speak for maybe 3 minutes. In the 3 minutes I was allowed to speak by Sam, I proved that Masjid al Haram is the Masjid in Makkah. You can see my write out of events here. Unfortunately, Sam did not want me to speak and simply denied everything I said while insulting me for most of the time I spent in the room with him. At the end of the video, in the final 3 minutes, Sam explains that this is a method he employs against Muslims who write against his religion. The truth is, Sam Shamoun is unable to have an intelligent discussion and that when faced with a formidable opponent, he must silence them and forbid them from speaking in response to his claims. Unfortunately for Sam, despite his petulant tactics, his rabid diatribe, his curses, mockery, insults, and abuses, I kept my cool and provided ample evidences to refute his infantile arguments, while not returning any insults to him or cutting him off from speaking as he did to me.

You can read a full read out of my arguments and Sam’s questions located here. You can watch the ‘dialogue’ below, I’ve included video annotations for viewers to take note of Sam’s deception, silly insults and 3 – 4 minute tirades after giving me at the most 20 seconds to answer a question, thereby he then spends 5 minutes insulting me:

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Sam Shamoun’s Recorder Won’t Release Raw Debate Audio

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

sam shamoun hands

I returned to  “Why Jesus is the only way“, to see if Sam’s recorder was there. Millie Fiori was the recorder’s name. She was kind to me, I enquired about the debate recording and she did have some issues with uploading the recording. However she made it quite clear that she would not be able to upload the unedited version of the discussion. I questioned her about this and she replied that it was up to Sam Shamoun to decide if the raw audio was to be given to me or to be uploaded, but as it is she would only be uploading the edited version.

Apparently our debate lasted 30 minutes, I really thought it lasted 5 minutes so I am interested to see what the recording actually looks like after the Christian side has edited it. You can view the recording on her YouTube page located here. I can’t give an estimated time until Sam’s edited version is uploaded to the person’s page, but I will be checking regularly to see if/ when it’s uploaded at all.

jesus_facepalm

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

Debate: Sam Shamoun vs Ijaz Ahmad

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بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ,

sam shamoun

On the 28/01/2013, I entered into the room “Why Jesus is the only way“, on Paltalk. Sam Shamoun had a friend named Millie who recorded the impromptu debate, I pray that Sam stays true to his word and uploads the entire debate on Youtube as he claimed he would! In the room, I found Sam Shamoun just about to begin speaking on John 17:3 and the objections to it. Praise be to Allaah, jut a few days ago I published an article refuting Sam Shamoun on the very same topic! Unfortunately, Sam immediately dotted me (dotting on Paltalk disables the user from being able to write text or to speak via the microphone to the room), in essence he intentionally stopped me from refuting him by stopping me from being able to respond to him.

After a moment or two, he undots me (thus allowing me to write text and use the room’s microphone) and decides to ask me a question. Before he does this, he insults me as a 20 year old pagan black stone worshipper, and mocks me in various ways. It needs to be noted that not once did I call him any names, I did not verbally abuse or curse him and I did not write any insulting speech towards him, thus Sam Shamoun saw it fit as a practising Christian to mock, insult, curse and abuse a 21 year old kid. He then posted the following verse of the Qur’aan:

Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing. – Qur’aan 17:1.

Now, Sam Shamoun is unfamiliar with me, he does not know how far my knowledge of Islam goes, so he asks quite a silly question, perhaps assuming that I did not know Arabic. He asked, where does the Qur’aan mention Masjid al Haram or Masjid al Aqsa in this verse, he believed it to be an inserted translation, an assumption and that those words, “Masjid al Haram” and “Masjid al Aqsa” were not actually part of the ayah itself. Unfortunately for Sam, I read and write Arabic, so I simply read the Arabic of the verse, which mentions the words specifically:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

I believed I left out the word ‘Israa’ in an attempt to be brief since he repeatedly dotted me (prevented me from answering him). When he realised I could read the Arabic and that the words actually existed in the Arabic, he changed his question. He said the Qur’aan says that its verses are fully explained and detailed, referring to this ayah:

[Say], “Then is it other than Allah I should seek as judge while it is He who has revealed to you the Book explained in detail?” And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture know that it is sent down from your Lord in truth, so never be among the doubters. – Qur’aan 6:114.

His next question was, if the Qur’aan is fully detailed, where does it mention:

  1. That Masjid al Haraam is in Makkah.
  2. That the Pagans were the Pagans of Makkah.
  3. That Masjid al Aqsa is in Jerusalem.

To answer the first two, I referenced the following verses:

How can the Mushriks have a treaty with Allah and His Messenger? Except those with whom you made a treaty near Al-Masjid-ul-Haram . Then, as long as they remain straight with you, you too remain straight with them. Surely, Allah loves the God-fearing. – Qur’aan 9:7.

The logic being that the only Pagans to make a Treaty with Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the holy place where fighting is prohibited is known as Masjid al Haram. Also see Qur’aan 2:190-194 for context of this.

Have you taken the serving of water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of Al-Masjid-ul-Haram as equal to (the acts) of one who believes in Allah and in the Last Day, and carries out Jihad in the way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. Allah does not lead the wrongdoing people to the right path. – Qur’aan 9:19.

The logic being that the place where fighting is prohibited is at the Holy Sanctuary known as Masjid al Haram in Makkah and this is where the Pagans were located as they respected it as a Noble Sanctuary, refusing to fight there during certain months and at which pilgrims from throughout Makkah came to fulfil their religious rights. Unless there is some other Noble Sanctuary not in Makkah where pilgrims came to perform sacred rights and fighting was impermissible to be done at, Sam Shamoun has more than duly been refuted. Yet, I persisted:

And it is He who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them within [the area of] Makkah after He caused you to overcome them. And ever is Allah of what you do, Seeing.

They are the ones who disbelieved and obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Haram while the offering was prevented from reaching its place of sacrifice. And if not for believing men and believing women whom you did not know – that you might trample them and there would befall you because of them dishonor without [your] knowledge – [you would have been permitted to enter Makkah]. [This was so] that Allah might admit to His mercy whom He willed. If they had been apart [from them], We would have punished those who disbelieved among them with painful punishment

Certainly has Allah showed to His Messenger the vision in truth. You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Haram, if Allah wills, in safety, with your heads shaved and [hair] shortened, not fearing [anyone]. He knew what you did not know and has arranged before that a conquest near [athand]. – Qur’aan 48:24, 25, 27.

Here, the verses clearly indicate that Makkah is Masjid al Haram and that the Pagans of the previous verses were those who opposed the Messenger at the Sacred Masjid were the Makkans who prevented them from accessing the site of the holy pilgrimage. Clear as day to any literate person, save for Sam Shamoun. Sam decided to claim that verses 24 and 25 were disjoint and void of their immediate context. In other words, what verse 24 was referring to, is not what verse 25 referred to. As such Sam shot himself in his foot, as this is known as contextual analysis, one verse leads into the other, hence why they are numerically labelled. I’m sorry for Sam, but when he reads two sentences, one right after the other, does he always assume they are disjointed and not related? As a counter question, I asked him, the the Makkans knew that Masjid al Haram was not at Makkah, why, during his tenure as the Prophet or during the early days of Islam, did they not point out his mistake? That Makkah was not the site of a Holy and Inviolable place as the Qur’aan mentioned? Surely, if he made such a major error, atleast one Makkan would have noticed and publicized this about him.

Unfortunately for Sam, he lost his temper, began to insult me and shout ‘al Maseeh al Akbar’, to which  retorted, ‘that simply means the Greatest Messiah, and I as a Muslim accept the only Messiah of the Qur’aan to be greater than any other Messiah’. At this point, Sam further lost his temper, began to curse, mock, insult and dot me. Promising he would never allow me to speak in the room again and then went on a rabid tirade and abuses towards me.

I am awaiting Sam to upload the unedited debate and I would love for him to explain why:

  1. He repeatedly stopped me from speaking.
  2. Cursed and abused a 21 year old, unprovoked.
  3. Mocked and jeered at me.
  4. Why he broke a basic rule of reading comprehension, i.e. contextual analysis.
  5. Why he denied the words Masjid al Haram and Masjid al Aqsa are in Qur’aan 17:1.
  6. That if he ‘won’ such a debate, why did he have to stop and block his opponent from speaking.
  7. Would his decorum be justified in a public debate?
  8. Would he choose to physically prevent his debate opponent from speaking in a public debate?

Sam Shamoun got served and I pray he uploads the unedited debate, I’d love for him to show just how much a 21 year old Muslim on post-op pain medication, can whoop him.

wa Allaahu ‘Alam.

What about Bible’s Mayan-like Hoax?

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What about Bible’s Mayan-like Hoax?

Exactly how accurate was Bible’s calendar

 

Question Mark

Introduction

 

On 21 December, 2012, people at answering-islam were mocking about the fiasco of Mayan calendar and its incorrectness in predicting the end of the world. In the process they obviously took their shot at Islam:

“21 December 2012

Millions of people believe that the world is going to end today, because the Mayan calendar comes to an end – the calendar of a civilization that has ended a long time ago. However, Jesus says: Nobody knows the time or the hour (Mark 13). Jesus will come back as Lord and Judge, but certainly not when a multitude of people who do not even believe in him expect the world to end. (When faith in the true God is thrown out of the window, superstition creeps in by the backdoor.) Even though Islam has many cracks in its foundations, and many more people will eventually recognize this and abandon Islam, neither Islam nor the world as a whole has come to its end just yet. It is still necessary and worth the time and effort to provide our readers with a clear presentation of the Gospel and good arguments that are relevant to the discussions between Christians and Muslims. Therefore, here are our latest articles…:”

However, hardly did they realize that a similar, if not a greater, debacle had already materialized in the pages of Bible. Nevertheless, it understandably goes tacitly in the pages of Christian history year after year – now for at least 2000 years.

Thus, in this paper, while accepting that the Mayans were indeed flawed with their reckoning of the end of world; we would like to do justice that the authors of Bible,attributing words upon Jesus (peace be upon him), were also flawed in their calculation of the end of world.

 

The “Son of man” who never came, let alone with army of “Angels”!

Consider the following instance where Jesus (peace be upon him) predicted about his second coming:

From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and thenhe shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:21-28) (1.)

The point that we want to argue is obvious. However, before we get to it, observe the flow of the passage. Jesus (peace be upon him) intimated about his suffering in Jerusalem so much so that he would “be killed and be raised again the third day”.  Therefore, he insisted that his disciples should expect similar fates for themselves as well. They would have to undergo hardship as well; they will have to “deny themselves, take up their cross…” etc.

Nevertheless, Jesus (peace be upon him) immediately consoled his disciples by informing them that because of their rather ephemeral suffering, they would be sufficiently rewarded since he is soon returning (i) “in the glory of his Father and (ii) “with his angels” when (iii) “he shall reward every man according to his works”. And all of this would happen in life time of “some” standing then; (iv) and thus they would see his “kingdom”.

However, we know for a fact that none of it ever happened!  And, in contrast to “some” of them present there, categorically all of them have tasted death for good now! Thus, it is one of those Mayan-like hoaxes in the fabulous history of “orthodox” Christianity (2.) which never came to happen.

Later in the same gospel, Jesus (peace be upon him) gave even more vivid account of his second return [although the verse quoted below is long, but it worth it’s read]:

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till ALL these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.  (Matthew 24:3-35)

It is very important to observe that the query of disciples was very specific, “what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” To which Jesus (peace be upon him) gave various signatures like “darkening of sun”, “falling of stars” etc and amidst such supernatural events would he appear!

Nevertheless, Jesus (peace be upon him) again qualified that the generation then would not die before they have witnessed all of it. He was so confident about his prophecy that he emphatically asserted that heaven and earth would be destroyed but his words would/should come to pass!

Disappointingly, none of the events occurred, Jesus (peace be upon him) is yet to return and all the New Testament figures are dealing with their fate in their graves; and to add to it, heaven and earth, luckily, have not passed as yet!

Mark also relates a similar assertion from Jesus (peace be upon him) in his brand of gospel:

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. (Mark 8:38, 9:1)

Scholars accept that Mark 8:38 where Chapter 8 ends, and the very next verse, namely, Mark 9:1 are part of one and the same passage and should not be separated:

Mark 8:38

When he cometh (hotan elthēi). Aorist active subjunctive with reference to thefuture second coming of Christ with the glory of the Father with his holy angels(cf. Mat_16:27). This is a clear prediction of the final eschatological coming of Christ. This verse could not be separated from Mar_9:1 as the chapter division does. These two verses in Mar_8:38; Mar_9:1 form one paragraph and should go together. (Robertson’s Word Picture)

Observe Robertson accepts that Jesus (peace be upon him) asserted that some from his generation would remain alive to witness his “future second coming”!

Albert Barnes also concords that some from Jesus’ (peace be upon him) would remain alive to witness the “day of judgment”:

Mark 8:27-38

In the glory of his Father – In the day of judgment. See the notes at Mat 26:64. The meaning of this verse is, Whosoever shall refuse, through pride or wickedness, to acknowledge and serve Christ here, shall be excluded from his kingdom hereafter. He was lowly, meek, and despised; yet there was an inimitable beauty in his character even then. But he will come again in awful grandeur; not as the babe of Bethlehem, not as the man of Nazareth, but as the Son of God, in majesty and glory. They that would not acknowledge him here must be rejected by him there; they that would not serve him on earth will not enjoy his favor in heaven; they that would cast Him out and despise him must be cast out by him, and consigned to eternal, hopeless sorrow. (Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)

As Jesus (peace be upon him) oft asserted that some from his generation would remain alive to witness his “second coming” and other supernatural events entailing the end of the world, we see it as a case of inaccurate prophecy because all the people of Jesus’ (peace be upon him) generation are dead and yet he is to return and the world is yet to end! Just like the Mayans miscalculated the end of the world, so did biblical authors attributing the statements to Jesus (peace be upon him)!

Luke also reports a verbatim instance in his version of gospel! And quite expectedly Jesus (peace be upon him) asserts the same condition there as well:

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.  (Luke 9:26-27)

Jesus (peace be upon him) repeated his “prophecy” for the second time in Luke’s gospel!

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Andthen shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Luke 21:25-33)

Based on the simple observation that multiple Bible authors repeated over and over again about Jesus’ (peace be upon him) second coming, end of the world, the trailing symptoms with it, and the condition that the generation then would be witness of all such preternatural events – we can conclude that they were very sure about it. Nevertheless, this “prophecy” failed just as the Mayan calendar and their reckoning of end of the world failed!

Conclusion

 

It is not that the historical Jesus (peace be upon him), the son of Maryam (may Allah (SWT) be pleased with her), was erroneous in his prophecies, nevertheless, the above (failed) prophecies shows that Bible has gone through human adulteration and the subject instances are just a few examples of it.

In all other cases, we would have to painfully accept that gospel authors wrote of failed prophecies – just like the Mayans and their calendar – and in such situation “Christianity has many cracks in its foundations, and many more people will eventually recognize this and abandon Christianity, neither Christianity nor the world as a whole has come to its end just yet.”

In fact rather than searching for “cracks” in Islam, it would be better if these stalwarts at answering-islam put some concrete in the gaping fractures throught the pages of Bible.

Footnotes:

(1.) One of the most reliable biblical commentator, John Gill, has expectedly tried to “reconcile” the verse as follows:

 

Matthew 16:28

Verily I say unto you….. This is a strong asseveration, Christ puts his “Amen” to it; declaring it to be a certain truth, which may firmly be believed: there be some standing here; meaning either his disciples, or some of the audience; for it is clear from Mar_8:34 that the people were called unto him with his disciples, when he said these words: which shall not taste of death: that is, shall not die; a phrase frequently used by the Jewish doctors: they say (y), “All the children of the world, טעמין טעמא דמותא, “taste the taste of death”.”

That is, die: till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom; which is not to be understood of his personal coming in his kingdom in the last day, when he will judge quick and dead; for it cannot be thought, that any then present should live to that time, but all tasted of death long before, as they have done; for the story of John’s being alive, and to live till then, is fabulous, and grounded on a mistake which John himself has rectified at the close of his Gospel: nor of the glorious transfiguration of Christ, the account of which immediately follows; when he was seen by Peter, James, and John, persons now present; for that, at most, was but an emblem and a pledge of his future glory: rather, of the appearance of his kingdom, in greater glory and power, upon his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension to heaven; when the Spirit was poured down in an extraordinary manner, and the Gospel was preached all over the world; was confirmed by signs and wonders, and made effectual to the conversion and salvation of many souls; which many then present lived to see, and were concerned in: though it seems chiefly to have regard to his coming, to show his regal power and authority in the destruction of the Jews; when those his enemies that would not he should reign over them, were ordered to be brought and slain before him; and this the Apostle John, for one, lived to be a witness of.  (John Gill’s Exposition on the Entire Bible)

At best we can say that it was a very desperate reconciliation we have read of Gill: Firstly, he compares Jesus’ (peace be upon him) resurrection from the dead, and his ascension to heaven as equal to Jesus (peace be upon him) descending from heaven in the glory of his Father with angels! Obviously the two are quite different.

Secondly, Gill equates the mere “preaching” of Gospel and conversion of people with Jesus’ (peace be upon him) assertion of “judging” people for their deeds, let alone the falling of stars and other astral events. Gill conveniently assumes the two to be the same, obviously, for the sake of “reconciliation”.

Nevertheless, the last part of Gill’s exegesis is most exposing. Note that Gill concedes that the verse’s main objective was to show “his coming, to show his regal power and authority in the destruction of the Jews; when those his enemies that would not he should reign over them, were ordered to be brought and slain before him; and this the Apostle John, for one, lived to be a witness of.” Gill is obviously referring to an instance in Luke’s gospel:

“But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.” Luke 19:27

Notwithstanding that Jesus (peace be upon him) gave other details like coming with Angels and in the honor of his Father etc, Gill has tried to somehow relate Jesus’ (peace be upon him) allusion of authority and regality with the above Lukan verse. However, quite contrary to his comments here, Gill wrote the following inconsistent “exegesis” for Luke 19:27:

bring hither, and slay them before me; which had its accomplishment in the destruction of Jerusalem, when multitudes of them were slain with the sword, both with their own, and with their enemies; and to this the parable has a special respect, and of which Christ more largely discourses in this chapter; see Luk_19:41 though it is true of all natural men, that they are enemies to Christ; and so of all negligent and slothful professors, and ministers of the word, who, when Christ shall come a second time, of which his coming to destroy the Jewish nation was an emblem and pledge, will be punished with everlasting destruction by him; and then all other enemies will be slain and destroyed, sin, Satan, the world, and death…(John Gill’s Exposition on the Entire Bible)

 

Initially when commenting on Matthew 16:28 Gill reported that Christ’s (peace be upon him) regale authority was evinced when he ordered Jews to be slain “before him”. Nevertheless, while commenting on Luke 19:27 Gill had to change his words to write that Jews being slain by the order of Jesus (peace be upon him) found “its accomplishment in the destruction of Jerusalem”!

But, we would ask, was the destruction of Jerusalem done “before him”; was Jesus (peace be upon him) present in the glory of his Father; in the company of Angels; “judging” people for their life-time deeds when the destruction of Jerusalem was being affected? Did destruction of Jerusalem set judgment day? The obvious answer is no.

 

(2.) It must be noted that the “orthodox” Christianity we know of was not the only form of Christianity competing for orthodoxy. Separate factions with separate set of books laid their claims on orthodoxy. So it is probable that such verses as Matthew 16:28 were never present in their gospels and in such situation they were more close to truth than their “orthodox” counterparts!

 

Notes:

  • Unless otherwise mentioned all biblical text taken from King James Version.
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