Was Muhammad a true prophet of God? Is the Quran inspired by God? Can the followers of Islam expect eternal life?

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Willa Harper
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1 An Examination of Islam Was Muhammad a true prophet of God? Is the Quran inspired by God? Can the followers of Islam expect eternal life? First let us look to the Quran: Lo! We inspire thee (Muhammad) as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the Psalms; And messengers We have mentioned unto thee before and messengers We have not mentioned unto thee; and Allah spake directly unto Moses; Messengers of good cheer and of warning, in order that mankind might have no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise. The Quran attempts to validate the inspiration of Muhammad (and itself) by saying he was inspired by the same One who inspired Moses and all the prophets. It also acknowledges Jesus as a prophet, but not the Son of God, a point we will consider in greater detail in a moment. The Quran further states: And afterward We inspired thee (Muhammad, saying): Follow the religion of Abraham, as one by nature upright. He was not of the idolaters. The Quran acknowledges the prophets of the Bible and the God of Abraham as the only true God The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) believers. Each one believeth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers - We make no distinction between any of His messengers - and they say: We hear, and we obey. (Grant us) Thy forgiveness, our Lord. Unto Thee is the journeying So hold thou fast to that which is inspired in thee. Lo! thou art on a right path And lo! it is in truth a Reminder for thee and for thy folk; and ye will be questioned And ask those of Our messengers (or apostles) whom We sent before thee: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped beside the Beneficent? And verily We sent Moses with Our revelations unto Pharaoh and his chiefs, and he said: I am a messenger of the Lord of the Worlds. The Quran very clearly states that the words of Moses, all the prophets and the books which were given, even the apostles that went before Muhammad, this would include Peter, John, Paul, James and all the rest, were indeed messengers of the only true and faithful God.

2 The Quran then allows that Mohammed and by association it, since it was given by Muhammad, must be from the same God. The Quran itself allows us to use the Bible to compare and validate it and learn of the true nature of Islam and Muhammad And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. To paraphrase, If you are in doubt concerning the things said by Muhammad, question those who read the scriptures that were before Muhammad. We can very quickly establish by the Bible that Jesus was sent by God as the final revelator of truth. God s seal is on Jesus and all who come after Him must bring the eternal final gospel of the Lord Jesus, if they are from God. John 6:27 NKJV Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him. What seal? Seal of approval. Matt 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: As they did the early Christians. Heb 13: 20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Rev 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Islam does not testify of Jesus as the Only Begotten of the Father, nor does it preach His gospel of salvation through faith and baptism into the family of God. As such, by its own criteria, its own words, it cannot be words form the Father of All Glory The God of Abraham who we worship. 1 John 2:21-29 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the

3 Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. 1 John 5:9-13 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Since Muhammad refused to accept Christ as the Son of God, he made God out to be a liar. He was neither a prophet, nor is the Quran a holy book from God. One other thing we might say about the prophet Muhammad. Many years ago, God said this: Deut 18:20-22 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, prophets have foretold events that occurred precisely when they were foretold even though they had been foretold sometimes centuries prior. Examples of Prophecy fulfilled. The Bible contains over 2,500 prophecies. 2,000 have been fulfilled. There were 35 very exact prophecies concerning Christ. A few follow: The exact town of His birth: Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

4 The fact he would be called out of Egypt: Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. Matt 2:14-15 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. The fact He would be crucified, pierced and no bones would be broken contrary to what was customary: Psalm 22 describes a crucifixion. Psalm 34:20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Zech 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. The exact year (some calculate the exact day) of the beginning of His ministry, His crucifixion and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem: Dan 9: Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. From the edict to rebuild Jerusalem given to Ezra (458BC), to the beginning of Christ s ministry was 483 years 69*7 3 ½ years later (middle of a seven year week) He was crucified. Less than 40 years later Jerusalem was destroyed. God made this challenge to all idols and gods who were worshipped. Isa 41:21-24 Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you. There are 22 or so prophecies contained in the Quran.

5 One of the most celebrated prophecies of the Quran is The Romans have been defeated In the nearer land, and they, after their defeat will be victorious Within ten years - Allah's is the command in the former case and in the latter - and in that day believers will rejoice In Allah's help to victory. He helpeth to victory whom He will. He is the Mighty, the Merciful It is a promise of Allah. Allah faileth not His promise, but most of mankind know not. Muslim scholars say this prophesy refers to the defeat of Rome by Persia in 615AD and the subsequent victory of Rome in 628AD. This presents some problems 1- The loss and victory were 13 years apart not 10. (In Arabic the phrase ten years should literally be translated a short time which according to Quranic scholars is a period of time consisting of 3-9 years. 2- Muhammad was still adding to the Quran in 632. Note the past tense have been defeated. Perhaps he was merely reporting a historical fact. 3- It is a vague prophecy. A land close by, a Roman victory shortly. The Romans fought multiple battles every year. How safe a prediction is that they might win a victory every few years? Contrast that to: Jer 25:8-14 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah in 606 B.C. (20 years after the prophecy), King Nebuchadnezzar's armies subdued Judah, taking thousands of Jews captive to Babylon (and other nations). This captivity process continued (including the fall of Jerusalem in

6 605 B.C.) until virtually all of the people of Judah were taken captive. This Babylonian captivity of Judah lasted until Babylon fell to Medo-Persia (fulfilling another prophecy in 595 B.C of Jeremiah which said, Jer 51:11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple. 28Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, (this would include the Persians) the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion. Cyrus the Medo-Persian King decreed in 536 B.C. that the Jews could return to their land, which many of them did --though not all of them, as it was not promised that all of them would return at that time. Thus, the captivity lasted 70 years --precisely as foretold! Another prophecy states And We said unto the Children of Israel after him: Dwell in the land; but when the promise of the Hereafter cometh to pass We shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations. An amazingly accurate prophecy. Consider though the Bible states the same prediction in Isaiah 11:10-12; Jeremiah 23:3-8; 30:3-11; Ezekiel 37:11-28; 38:8; and Luke 21:23-24 and other places. Some nearly 1000 years before Muhammad s birth. Muhammad probably was aware or knew of these verses. The Quran contradicts the Bible also. The Quran states that men will have many wives in eternal life Lo! those who kept their duty dwell in gardens and delight, Happy because of what their Lord hath given them, and (because) their Lord hath warded off from them the torment of hell-fire (And it is said unto them): Eat and drink in health (as a reward) for what ye used to do, Reclining on ranged couches. And we wed them unto fair ones with wide, lovely eyes And they who believe and whose seed follow them in faith, We cause their seed to join them (there), and We deprive them of nought of their (life's) work. Every man is a pledge for that which he hath earned And We provide them with fruit and meat such as they desire There they pass from hand to hand a cup wherein is neither vanity nor cause of sin And there go round, waiting on them menservants of their own, as they were hidden pearls And some of them draw near unto others, questioning, Saying: Lo! of old, when we were with our families, we were ever anxious; But Allah hath been gracious unto us and hath preserved us from the torment

7 of the breath of Fire Lo! we used to pray unto Him of old. Lo! He is the Benign, the Merciful. Jesus, recognized as a prophet by the Quran, said this: Luke 20:34-36 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Because of the prophecies of the Bible, the contradictions within the Quran, both of itself and the Bible, This brief study of the Quran tells us that: 1. The Quran is not inspired by, nor the word of God. 2. Muhammad was not a true prophet of God 3. Unless they accept Jesus the Christ, they cannot expect salvation Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

8 Sources: Quotations from the Quran: Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall translation of the Quran. Please acknowledge the source The Islamic Computing Centre, London when quoting from this text) KJV and NKJV Translations of the Holy Bible

THE ORACALE OF DESTRUCTION: A GREAT PROPHECY FULFILLED By Lloyd Dale 1997

THE ORACALE OF DESTRUCTION: A GREAT PROPHECY FULFILLED By Lloyd Dale 1997 INTRODUCTION: The following material was first written as a series of letters to a young friend of the author at the same time