Beyond Mere Christianity

‘There is no god but God’

 

‘To Him
belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. God’s retribution is severe.
Should you then have fear of anyone other than God?’ (Qur’an 16:52)

A Muslim is, literally,
one who submits to the will of the One God.

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Today, a Muslim is someone who is willing to say, of his or
her own free will, ‘I believe that there is no god but God, and that Muhammad
is the messenger of God.’

Adherents of
Islam do not view Muhammad, or any other prophet, as divine. They believe Jesus
was a prophet of God, not God incarnate. They believe Muhammad was a prophet of
God, not God incarnate. They do, however, view the Qur’an, the text that was
revealed to Muhammad, as divine in nature.

This may seem at first to be a difficult
claim. Yet you should know that, if you agree with Jesus when he tells us that
God knows everything that is in every human heart, and is aware of everything
we think or plan or do …

‘For
there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall
not be known.’ (Luke 12:2)

…
then you already agree with the Qur’an.

If you agree
with Jesus when he tells us humans will be held accountable after death for
their deeds, and that those whose evil deeds are heavy in the balance will meet
a fate very different than of the righteous …

‘A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.’
(Matthew 7:18-19)

…
then you already agree with the Qur’an.

If you agree
with Jesus when he rejects Satan’s attempt to call him ‘Son of God’ and forcefully
insists that ‘there is no god but God’ …

‘And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’ (Luke 4:8)

… then you already agree with the Qur’an.

These are the basic principles of Islam.
If you still believe that Jesus’ mission is incompatible with Islam, then you
may want to consider reading the Qur’an … to determine for yourself whether or
not it conflicts with the teachings of Jesus.

Muslims have no difficulty whatsoever
celebrating Jesus as a great Prophet; his insistence on the points you just
read are, we believe, not footnotes to a sacrificial rite, but the main thrust
of the true faith. Look at them again.

We can hide nothing from God.

We will be judged on our thoughts, words,
and deeds in the life to come, and there will be consequences for our choices
in this life.

We are obliged to worship God Alone.

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Do you believe that there is no god but
God?

Most Christians I talk to will
intuitively answer ‘yes’—because it is very difficult indeed to
imagine Jesus giving any other answer.

There remains
only the question of whether you believe Muhammad, like Jesus, to have been a
messenger of God.

Jesus told us: ‘By their fruits shall you
know them.’ The ‘fruit’ of Muhammad’s mission was and is the Qur’an. I have
been telling you, in this book, about some of the many areas where the Qur’an
matches up seamlessly with the historical mission of Jesus. But it would be a
mistake to take my word, or the word of any human being, on a matter of this importance.

A great reformer once said: ‘We all have to do our own believing, because
we will all have to do our own dying.’ For my part, I became a Muslim because I
knew I had to do my own believing, not anyone else’s. I became a Muslim
because Jesus insisted that it was not enough merely to say ‘Lord, Lord,’ but
far more important to do as he instructed.

Do as he
instructs. Evaluate the fruits of Muhammad’s mission for yourself. Read the
Qur’an. And make your own decision.