This article is in response to an email I received that needs a good
Does the Quran Say that Christians are Humble?
The author’s comment starts like this: “The Islamic Govts and all other Islamic organizations in the world failed to notice that Christians are not arrogant and amongst them are priest and monks according to the Quranic verse 5:82.”
We doubt that all Muslim governments and Islamic organizations in the world failed to recognize the Quranic statement mentioned in the email. At least one Muslim didn’t fail to do so. This Muslim teacher, Jalal Abualrub, for instance, wrote an extensive explanation of ayah 5:82 and stressed the failure of those who misquote it, to allow the Quran to explain itself.
Those who use ayah 5:82 to prove that the Quran states that the Christians are not arrogant, or that Islam upholds Christianity, utter a false statement similar to saying that we shouldn’t pray because the Quran says, {O, You Who Believe! Approach not As‑Salât (the prayer)} (4:43), then stop there. Ayah 4:43 continues, {O, You Who Believe! Approach not As‑Salât (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter}. This ayah was revealed before the Quran outlawed alcohol drinking. The author of the article under discussion fails completely in his quest to affirm Christianity by using the Quran, for he ignores the context of the ayat (Quranis sentences) before and after 5:82. He did not read the entire subject matter. We will mention here ayat 5:72-86 in their entirety to realize how the author corrupted the ayat that explain ayah 5:82.
Is the Context of Ayah 5:82 about Affirming Christianity?
Allah I said, {Surely, they have disbelieved who say: “Allâh is the Messiah [‘Îsâ (Jesus u)], son of Maryam (Mary).” But the Messiah [‘Îsâ (Jesus u)] said: “O Children of Israel! Worship Allâh, my Lord and your Lord.” Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allâh, then Allâh has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Dhâlimûn (polytheists, wrongdoers) there are no helpers. Surely, disbelievers are those who said: “Allâh is the third of the three (in a Trinity).” But there is no Ilâh (god) (none who has the right to be worshipped) but One Ilâh (Allâh). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them. Will they not turn with repentance to Allâh and ask His forgiveness? For Allâh is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah [‘Îsâ (Jesus u)], son of Maryam (Mary), was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother [Maryam (Mary)] was a Siddîqah [she believed in the Words of Allâh and His Books]. They both used to eat food (as any other human being, while Allâh does not eat). Look how We make the Ayât (proofs,
Exposing the Deception
Comments on Ayat 5:72-86.
- Allah declares that those who assert Jesus u is
god , i.e., the vast majority of Christians, are disbelievers (Quran 5:72). - Allah declares that Jesus u did not call to his divinity (5:73).
- By the words of
Jesus , Allah declares that those who commit polytheism, such as believing in Trinity or the divinity of Jesus, will never enter Paradise and will reside in the Hellfireforever, because they are unjust (5:73). - Allah declares that those who believe in Trinity, i.e., the vast majority of Christians, are disbelievers, and threatens those who persist in this polytheism with a painful torment (5:73).
- Allah calls on the disbelievers who worship Jesus as a god and believe in Trinity, to repent to Him I from this awful disbelief (5:74).
- By affirming the human nature of Jesus u and his honourable mother, Mary, Allah I draws a contrast between how He made His signs clear to Christians and how deluded Christians are from the truth, because of the awful things they ascribe to Jesus and his honourable mother (5:75).
- Allah chastises Christians, and all other polytheists, for worshipping beings along with Him I, beings that cannot benefit or harm them (5:76). According to Christians, Jesus, who they have appointed as being God himself, could not save himself from crucifixion, so how can he save anyone else?
- Allah calls on the People of the Book, Jews and Christians, to avoid and shun exaggerating in religion and to abandon following their desires (5:77).
- After admonishing Christians, Allah next admonishes the Jews for their disbelief and rebellion (5:78-81).
- At the culmination of this great admonishment to the Jews and Christians from Allah, He then identifies those who are more, and those who are less, severe in enmity towards Muslims. This is ayah 5:82 that the author misused.
a- Ayah 5:82 talks about ‘people’ who are more compassionate towards Muslims, while the author makes it about upholding the current ‘religion’ of that community.
b- Ayah 5:82 is followed by ayat that explain who the people are who are less severe in enmity towards Muslims, but the author ignored the ayat after 5:82.
c- In no way does ayah 5:82 accept, uphold, affirm, assert, or recognize Christianity; this is not the topic of this ayah.
d- Ayah 5:82 is about a segment of Christians who have the good qualities mentioned in ayah 5:82 and the following three ayat.
11- Ayat 82-5 describe the people who are closer in compassion and love towards Muslims. They are some Christian monks and priests who are…
a- Not proud, unlike Jews or other Christians, because, {…when they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger (Muhammad), you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognized}. This is not the attribute of monks and priests of today or throughout their history. Most Christian monks and priests consider the Quran to be a false book, Muhammad a false prophet, and Islam a false religion.
b- When they hear the Quran that was revealed to Muhammad, and recognize it as the truth, {They say: “Our Lord! We believe; so, write us down among the witnesses. And why should we not believe in Allâh and in that which has come to us of the truth (Islâmic Monotheism)? And we wish that our Lord will admit us (in Paradise on the Day of Resurrection) along with the righteous people.”}. They declare their Islam, their faith in the Quran, their belief in Muhammad, and wish that Allah will gather them on the Day of Resurrection with Muhammad and his Companions. In contrast, most Christian monks and priests declare their faith in Trinity and in god being Jesus u. Who among them wishes to be gathered with Muhammad and his Companions?
12- In ayah 5:85, Allah I declares that the monks and priests who are not arrogant towards accepting the Islamic Faith, whose eyes flow with tears when they hear the Quran being recited to them, who recognize Muhammad as the Prophet foretold in the Torah and Injil (Gospel) where he is mentioned by his attributes, who then declare their embracing of Islam, will be rewarded with Paradise because they embraced Islam and were excellent in acting on its creed and law.
13- Ayah 5:86 states that those among the monks and priests who do not believe in the Quran, Islam, or Muhammad will reside in Hell forever.
Numerous Monks and Priests Became Muslim
It is clear, now that we have the entire context, that ayah 5:82 describes a segment of Christian monks and priests who became, and still become, Muslim. Numerous monks and priests have embraced Islam throughout history. In contrast, there is not a single Muslim scholar who truly understood Islam, who embraced Christianity.
The context of ayat 5:82-6 proves that the ayat describe the numerous Christian monks and priests who became Muslim since the rise of Islam until now, in Syria, Egypt, Europe, the Americas, and throughout the world. The ayat in no way justify the Christian faith or say that Christian monks and priests, in general, are not arrogant. The arrogance negated here is specifically about the monks and priests mentioned in ayah 5:82 who are not arrogant towards accepting the Islamic faith.
Those described in ayah 5:82 as being humble, are described as such because they discard their community’s arrogance towards Islam and, thus, embrace Islam. They are not described as humble just because they are monks and priests. In other words, a monk or priest is arrogant if he refuses to accept Islam, while another monk or priest is not arrogant, because he accepts Islam. The job itself doesn’t make one humble or arrogant. The Character of those who hold the job makes them either humble or arrogant.
What is the ‘Same’ that is ‘Absent’?
The author says, next, “In the absence of the same, there is no peace between the 2 largest population(s) of the world.”
It is not clear what ‘the absence of the same’ means. If it means that Christian holy books do not praise a segment of Islamic Imams and scholars as the Quran praises a segment of those who ascribe themselves to Christianity, then that’s true. Christians consider Muslims as disbelievers, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye (Jews)crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-2).
Muslims do not believe that Jesus, peace be on him, is the savior, let alone being the only savior. Jesus was just a human prophet sent from Allah I to the Children of Israel to save them from their disbelief and rebellion. How can Muslims attain Christian salvation if they do not believe in Christianity or its tenets?
Christians declare Islam and all other faiths, except their very own brand of Christianity, as being false and their followers as being followers of false creeds who will not attain salvation. For example, “The Dominus Iesus states, ‘The Lord Jesus, the only Savior, did not only establish a simple community of disciples but constituted the Church as a salvific mystery: he himself is in the Church and the Church is in him (Cf. Jn 15:1ff.; Gal 3:28; Eph 4:15-16; Acts 9:5)” (Jalal Abualrub. Holy Wars; Crusades; Jihad, pg., 105). The Catholic Church doesn’t only consider Christianity as the only true religion, but also considers other forms of Christianity of being fake Christians: “In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, called, ‘Lumen Gentium’, promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 21st, 1964, Chapter 1: ‘The Mystery of the Church’, one reads, ‘This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic” (Jalal Abualrub. Holy Wars; Crusades; Jihad, pg., 107).
If ‘the absence of the same’ means that the Quran does not praise Muslims as it praises Christians, as even some ‘Muslims’ have suggested, then this is utterly false and a blatant lie, for various reasons.
First: In the quoted ayat, Allah I declares those who believe in Trinity, who are the vast majority of Christians, as being disbelievers. In Islam, Christianity is rejected and those who believe in it are considered as true disbelievers. There is no praise for Christianity in the Quran. There is praise in the Quran for Christians who become Muslim.
Second: In the quoted ayat, Allah I warns those who believe in Trinity and in Jesus u as being a god, of eternal residence in Hellfire. The vast majority of Christians believe in Jesus as being god and/or one-third of the Christian holy trinity.
Third: Allah I declares that the only accepted religion to Him is Islam, {Truly, the religion with Allâh is Islâm} (3:19).
Fourth: Allah I praises Muslims in various ways, as follows
1- Allah I says, {Muhammad (r) is the Messenger of Allâh. And those who are with him are severe against
2- Allah I also says, {You (true believers in Islâmic Monotheism, real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah) are the best of peoples ever raised up for humankind; you enjoin Al-Ma‘rûf (Islâmic Monotheism) and forbid Al‑Munkar (polytheism, disbelief, and all that Islâm forbids), and you believe in Allâh. And had the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) believed, it would have been better for them; among them are some who have Faith, but most of them are Al-Fâsiqûn (disobedient to Allâh, rebellious against His Command).} (3:110)
3- In addition, Allah I says, {And the foremost to embrace Islâm of the Muhâjirûn (who migrated from Makkah to Madinah) and the Ansâr (citizens of Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhâjirûn) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allâh is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.} (9:100)
4- Allah I also says, {Verily, among humankind who have the best claim to Ibrâhîm (Abraham) are those who followed him, and this Prophet (Muhammad) and those who have believed (Muslims). And Allâh is the Walî (Protector and Helper) of the believers.} (3:68).
5- Furthermore, Allah I
6- Prophet Muhammad declares that any Christian or Jew who hears about him but does not believe in him, will enter Hell (Sahih Muslim). He also declares that Muslims will comprise more than
Allah Rejects All Religions, Except Islam
Consequently, the falsehood of the author’s statement, next, becomes more apparent, “Once the Holy Quran recognized Christianity, then no Christian can criticize that Islamic community is false or Satanic community.”
The Quran does no such thing. To the contrary, the Quran clearly declares all religions, except Islam, to be false religions, and their followers of being failures, {And whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter, he will be one of the losers} (3:85).
Yet, let’s suppose that the Quran recognized Christianity, as the author of the article falsely claims. Why then do Christians still consider Islam a false, satanic religion, even though the Quran recognizes their religion as the author claims? Because Allah I, Who created them and knows them best, states that the Christians and Jews will never be pleased with Muslims, until they become like them, {Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O, Muhammad r; Muslims) until you follow their religion} (2:120).
What the Interfaith Movement Really Seeks
The author of the article seems to be an interfaither, as clear from his statements, next, “All the Muslims in the world are the followers of Our Prophets Jesus, Moses and Muhammad (peace be upon them). We have no other intention except to spread the messages to all the communities in the world posted in our website (…) to promote harmony, peace and security of mankind in the world.”
Also, on the website the author promotes, we read these words, “Jews, Christians and Islamists who are followers of Abraham, Mosses, Jesus and Mohammed have One God which is revealed in Holy Quran Verses 29:46. In the Holy Verse 5:14 Voice of God says, ‘We are Christians’ – they then forgot a large portion of the advices given to them; We have therefore instilled enmity and hatred between them till the Day of Resurrection; and Allah will soon inform them of what they were doing. Hence, now we have posted all the Messages of God to mankind in this website.”
This is terrible. These people seem to be reading another Quran, because in our Quran, Allah the Exalted never says, “We are Christians.” It is astonishing how some people distort the Quran by making a segment of it mean the exact opposite of its true meaning.
Here are ayat 5:14-7; there is no hint of praise in them for either Christians or Christianity. To the contrary, these ayat destroy the Christian faith and declare it as being false and unjust, {And from those who call themselves Christians, We took their covenant, but they have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them. So, We planted amongst them enmity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection (when they discarded Allâh’s Book, disobeyed His Messengers and His Orders, and transgressed beyond bounds in Allâh’s disobedience); and Allâh will inform them of what they used to do. O, People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Now has come to you Our Messenger (Muhammad r) explaining to you much of that which you used to hide from the Scripture and pass over (leaving out without explaining) much. Indeed, there has come to you from Allâh a light (Prophet Muhammad r) and a plain Book (this Qur’ân). Wherewith Allâh guides all those who seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace, and He brings them out of darkness by His Will unto light and guides them to the Straight Way (Islâmic Monotheism). Surely, in disbelief are they who say that Allâh is the Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary).}
These ayat are very clear in their call to Jews and Christians to become Muslim to avoid Allah’s anger and wrath. This is the only way they can attain peace. As for ayah 29:46, where does it say that one Ilah (
It seems that the author of the article wants to blend the three messages into one
The Fallacy of the Three Abrahamic Faiths
Muslims believe in Moses u, Jesus u, and Muhammad r, and worship Allah alone without partners. Christians, who do not believe in Muhammad r, have three different gods based on their ingenious accounting that has baffled humankind since Christianity started, that being, the magic formula of 1+1+1=1! Jews do not believe in Jesus u or in Muhammad
Indeed, all Muslims believe in Moses u, Jesus u, and all other true prophets, and in the original revelation and original books sent down to them from Allah I. But, Muslims do not believe in Judaism or Christianity, because they are false religions which were never preached by either Moses u or Jesus u. Muslims also believe that both the OldTestament and the NewTestament have false parts in them; they are not the Torah or the Injil.
The Torah was a book revealed from Allah the Exalted to Prophet Moses u for the guidance of the Children of Israel, not about the Jews or about the count of their sub-tribes, sheep, cattle, and chickens. The Injil was a book revealed from Allah the Exalted to Prophet Jesus u for the guidance of the Children of Israel, not about the biography of Jesus u, or about the messages of Paul the Jewish hypocrite who destroyed the religion of Jesus u. Islam has always been the religion of all of Allah’s Prophets. There are no multiple messages to convey to humankind. There are no three Abrahamic faiths. There is only one universal message, Islam, and it has nothing to do with Judaism or Christianity.
Calling to Islam is Hereby Prohibited!
Next, the author of the article utters this stunning statement which indicates that he is either a non-Muslim, or an extremely ignorant Muslim: “The question of converting Christians and all other communities in the world into Islam does not arise on the reason that the Holy Quran banned compulsory conversion as per Quranic verse 2:256.”
Here is the answer to the author’s question.
- Allah I sent Prophet Muhammad r to all of humankind to call them to Islam {And We have not sent you (O, Muhammad r) except as a giver of glad tidings and a warner to all humankind, but most of
men know not} (34:28). - Islam is the only true religion, {Truly, the religion with Allâh is Islâm} (3:19).
- Allah I ordered Prophet Muhammad r and Muslims to call to Islam, {Invite (humankind) to the way of your Lord (Islâm) with wisdom (the Divine Revelation and the Qur’ân) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better} (16:125).
- Allah I made the job of calling to Islam, the best job, {And who is better in speech than he who invites (humankind) to Allâh (His Islâmic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: “I am one of the Muslims”} (41:33).
- Allah I made salvation tied exclusively to Islamic Monotheism, {Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allâh, then Allâh has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Dhâlimûn (polytheists, wrongdoers) there are no helpers.} (5:72)
Therefore, the proper question to ask is, “Are Muslims supposed to call all non-Muslims to Islam?” The answer is, “Yes,” and the evidence is presented above. If the question is, “Does Islam advocate forceful conversion to it,” then the answer would be, “The Quran bans compulsory conversion as per Quranic ayah (statement) 2:256.”
The deception is clear. The author confuses calling to Islam with forceful conversion to it, prohibiting both since, to him, they are the same. He wants to ban the call to Islam among Christian and Jewish societies. Meanwhile, Christians preach the Bible to every corner of the world, since they claim that Jesus u ordered them to do so, “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” (Matthew 24:14). Also, in its declaration of faith known as, “Dominus Iesus,” the Vatican declares, “The mission of the Church is ‘to proclaim and establish among all peoples the kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is on earth, the seed and the beginning of that kingdom” (Jalal Abualrub. Holy Wars; Crusades; Jihad, Pg., 135, the footnote).
To convert humankind to Christianity, Christians spend tens of billions of dollars to convert Muslims and all other non-Christians to Christianity, build churches, hospitals and schools all over the world, give away tons of free bibles and loads of food, milk and money, hire tens of thousands of Christian missionaries to preach the Bible to all communities, especially Muslims, broadcast the Bible to every corner of the world using satellites and all other forms of media. This doesn’t seem to be forceful conversion according to the author’s logic. Only when Muslims call to their religion does it seem as being forceful conversion.
Christian Top 1000!
The website the author promotes has other weird aspects. We have been hearing similar statements from Muslims who have drowned themselves in the interfaith movement. They long to blend Islam, Christianity, and Judaism into one religion. The interfaith movement seeks to destroy the very essence of Islam, in the hope that Christians and Jews may look at them favorably and stop calling them terrorists. This will never happen.
Allah knows Christians and Jews better than any among creation knows them. Once, a group of deviant Sufis wanted to establish a university in Orlando, Florida, which they declared would simply teach interfaith. Some local newspapers responded ‘favorably,’ by commenting on the guest list that was supposed to promote the interfaith university, by writing these words, “Who’s Who in Terrorism.” Even when naive Muslims wanted to appease Christians by promoting the interfaith movement, which carries within it the destruction of Islam, they still called them terrorists.
While the author confuses the call to Islam with forceful conversion to it, the website he promotes posts the Christian Top 1000 websites that call to Christianity. Apparently, to the author and his benefactors, calling to Christianity is not forceful conversion to it. It is just an act of mercy and kindness towards humankind, calling them to worship a human being like them who never said he was
Christianity vs. Forceful Conversion
Unlike Muslims, Christians have indeed forced others to become Christian, such as in Muslim Spain, the Philippines, and the Americas. Currently, Christians occupy various Muslim countries where herds of missionaries follow Christian armies into occupied Muslim countries to coerce Muslims to become Christian by using the lures of education, immigration, money, clothes, medicine, and western women disguised as missionaries. This seems perfect to the author, since, “The Christians in the world are service minded people, who work towards peace, research, etc. to serve public in the world and as such no one can act against Christianity in the world.” However, merely calling to Islam is to force Islam on others, according to the author.
Here are a few services the ‘service-minded Christians’ do.
1- There is the great peaceful service in Iraq, which was occupied by service-minded, glorious Christians, wherein the entire country was almost destroyed, a million Muslims killed, many Islamic charities devastated, banned, and called terrorist supporters, and Iraq being given to Iran as a free gift.
2- Another great Christian service to Muslims: Christian-occupied Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of Muslims were killed, and millions more displaced in the aftermath of the brutal Christian invasion of Afghanistan, where Muslim charities were demonized while Christian charities worked freely to convert Muslims to Christianity. Until now, 2018, the merciful and kind-hearted Christian drones that come in various sizes and attractive
3- There is also the wonderful Christian service-minded media, such as newspapers, television and radio stations, churches, political and social leaders, that attack and criticize Islam and everything Islamic every day. They demonize Islam and Muslims and ridicule everything and everyone dear to Muslims.
This is overwhelming kindness from Christians; all this service, peace, security, jobs, health, and wealth. Yet the author calls on Muslims
Muslims cannot take any more public peace, humanity, jobs, business, security, health, or wealth from Christians. If they take any more, they may end giving up Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Morocco, etc., and suffer tens of millions of deaths, horrific destruction, and unimaginable tyranny. Worst still would be for Muslims to give up their faith and end up in Hell, forever.
Jalal Abualrub
November 26, 2015