Jews, Christians and Muslims: Cousins in Religion?

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Jews, Christians and Muslims: Cousins in Religion?
Spiritual, Biological and Geographical Cousins!

Jews, Christians and Muslims believe that the creation of humans began with Adam, who was the first human to receive guidance directly from the Creator.

The three Abrahamic religions therefore agree in rejecting the theory of evolution.

Islam does not refute the fact that there were human looking creatures like monkeys, apes, Neanderthals, … etc. before the creation of Adam, but it acknowledges that they were merely human-looking animals, possessing no intellect, nor were they receiving guidance from God nor were they judged for their actions. They existed and survived just like other animals did.

However, with the creation of Adam, God has made it clear that bestowing knowledge to humans began with Adam, in levels even higher than angels.

{And He thought Adam all the names of (everything), then He showed them to the angels and said “tell me the names of these if you are truthful.” They (the angels) said, “glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Verily it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise.”} (Al Baqarah 2: 31-32)

Some scholars believe that here, the “names” includes the knowledge of many things taught to Adam by his Lord. This implies that from the creation of Adam and his wife, and through their progeny, they were granted knowledge and intellect no other creature possessed before them.

Of course, with knowledge comes responsibility. The first responsibility was obedience to Allah’s commands, which Adam and his wife Eve failed to achieve due to Satan’s temptation. This resulted in their expulsion from Paradise.

God's Guidance

From that time on, the ever merciful God guided them by sending successions of messengers to what was then, one community. But they differed over time after beeing given the knowledge.

{Mankind were one community, and Allah sent (unto them) prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners, and revealed therewith the Scripture with the truth that it might judge between mankind concerning that wherein they differed. And only those unto whom (the Scripture) was given differed concerning it, after clear proofs had come unto them, through hatred one of another. And Allah by His Will guided those who believe unto the truth of that concerning which they differed. Allah guides whom He will unto a straight path.} (Al-Baqarah 2: 213)

One of the most critical issues for non-Muslims to consider is the understanding of the nature and succession of the message. If it was from other than one God, there would have been disharmony in the message.

{And We (*) sent no messenger before you but We inspired him, (saying): There is no God save Me (Allah), so worship Me.} (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21: 25)

Yet Allah expresses the stubborn nature of humans in rejection of guidance from their Lord:

{Then We sent Our Messengers in succession. Every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him, so We made them follow one another (to destruction), and We made them as Ahadith (the true stories for mankind to learn a lesson from them). So away with a people who believe not!} (Al-Mu’minoun 23: 44)

To make it more clear and as a reminder, Allah mentions names of Prophets and their missions:

{Then We sent Musa (Moses) and his brother Harun (Aaron), with Our signs and manifest authority to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they behaved insolently and they were people self-exalting} (Al-Ma’ida 5: 45)

Allah gave to some of His prophets (and messengers) scriptures and some were sent to confirm previous messages, but without scriptures (prophets).

{And indeed We gave Musa (Moses) the Scripture, that they may be guided.} (Al-Ma’ida 5: 49).

Many prophets were sent after Moses with the same message. Jesus was the last prophet sent to the Children of Israel with the same mission:

{And in their footsteps, We sent Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), confirming the Torah that had come before him, and We gave him the Injeel (Gospel), in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Torah that had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for the pious} (Al-Ma’ida 5: 46)

He further explains the mission of Jesus as proclaiming Allah’s sovereignty and pure Monotheism:

{[…] and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty) and We supported him with the Holy Spirit[…]} (Al-Baqarah 2: 253)

Finally, and repeatedly Allah clarifies that for Him, the religion is ONE and God is ONE, but sadly enough humans have made religion a source of contention and enmity.

{And verily! This your religion is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me. But they (men) have broken their religion among them into sects, each group rejoicing in what is with it (as its belief).} (Al-Mu’minoun 23: 52-53)

The verses above give clear indication that the adherents of Abrahamic religions meant to be one spiritual family with one God and one message of Monotheism.

Biological Cousins

How do we know they were also cousins from distance past?

The Bible and the Quran give the account of human generations and the prophets starting from Adam. Ten generations from Adam, we reach Prophet Noah. Further down the line is Abraham who was ten generations from Noah.

Abraham’s two sons were Ismail and Isaac. From the progenies of these two sons, two separate religious identities were formed—while still being related to each other.

From the line of Isaac arose children of Israel and their progeny, to whom many prophets were sent.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was from the family of Imran who was also from the line of Aaron, one of the tribes of the children of Israel.

Muhammad was from the line of Ismail, who was the brother of Isaac, son of Abraham whose progenies likewise were distance cousins of each other—thus the biological relationship is clear.

Geographical Relationship

It is also quite clear that ALL prophets of the old and new testament as well as Prophet Muhammad were from the close proximity of each other in the Middle East, with Palestine as a common sacred land for all. Thus geographical proximity of this large family was established centuries ago.

We may wonder why with all the closeness of kinship, geographical proximities and common spiritual bonds, the three religions have been showing enmity to each other for centuries and still without abate. Sadly, many of the Jewish-Christian population of the world are unaware of the real relationship of these Abrahamic religions with each other and instead of objective research, they incline to find ways to discredit Islam and its Prophet without knowledge.

If we worship the same God, why should we differ?

Muslims may be the only one of the followers of the three religions who believe not only in their own Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Quran, but fully acknowledge and believe in all previous scriptures in their original forms and all their prophets.

{Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered.} (Al-Baqarah 2: 136)

Allah makes it clear here that the prophets of the past did not take a denomination upon themselves.

{Or say you that Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Do you know best, or does Allah?...} (Al-Baqarah 2: 140)

Although Judaism and Christianity were named after a tribe or person, Islam is not named after a person or tribe. Islam means full submission to the Creator. For that reason, many prophets are referred to in the Quran as Muslims (which means: those who surrender themselves to God).

{Or were ye present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his sons: What will ye worship after me? They said: We shall worship thy God, the God of thy fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One God, and unto Him we have surrendered.} (Al-Baqarah 2: 133)

A sincere seeker would spend the time to research and find out if the core of the messages sent to the Abrahamic prophets were similar or not. When one leaves out prejudice, one notices that they are all but one message in various forms and languages. As such, the wise seeker would not be among those who disbelieve in any of these messages and the messengers.

{There are those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers, and seek to make distinction between Allah and His messengers, and say: We believe in some and disbelieve in others, and seek to choose a way in between;} (Al-Nisaa 4: 150)

Thus it is incumbent upon the believers to embrace all messages (uncorrupted by humans) sent by the Creator and accept the messages and the messengers as being all from Allah. This includes the message of Islam and Prophet Muhammad.

{O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His messenger and the Scripture which He hath revealed unto His messenger, and the Scripture which He revealed aforetime. Whoso disbelieve in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers and the Last Day, he verily has wandered far astray.} (Al-Nisaa 4: 136)

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only u u can broke it

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gently with prantes

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And your LORD has decreed that you not worship except HIM, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word, And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My LORD, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small."

- Quran 17:23,24

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wealth

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The desire to accumulate wealth cannot be satisfied in this life. The more human beings have, the more they want.
The Prophet (pbuh) stated that “If a man had a valley of gold, he would desire another, for nothing will fill his mouth but the dirt [of his grave]. And Allaah forgives whoever sincerely repents.” Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 8, pp. 297-8, no. 447.

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Say ”He is ALLAH the One & Only “

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Half of New Testament forged, Bible scholar says

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Half of New Testament forged, Bible scholar says
By John Blake, CNN

(CNN) - A frail man sits in chains inside a dank, cold prison cell. He has escaped death before but now realizes that his execution is drawing near.

“I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come,” the man –the Apostle Paul - says in the Bible's 2 Timothy. “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

The passage is one of the most dramatic scenes in the New Testament. Paul, the most prolific New Testament author, is saying goodbye from a Roman prison cell before being beheaded. His goodbye veers from loneliness to defiance and, finally, to joy.

There’s one just one problem - Paul didn’t write those words. In fact, virtually half the New Testament was written by impostors taking on the names of apostles like Paul. At least according to Bart D. Ehrman, a renowned biblical scholar, who makes the charges in his new book “Forged.”

“There were a lot of people in the ancient world who thought that lying could serve a greater good,” says Ehrman, an expert on ancient biblical manuscripts.In “Forged,” Ehrman claims that:

* At least 11 of the 27 New Testament books are forgeries.

* The New Testament books attributed to Jesus’ disciples could not have been written by them because they were illiterate.

* Many of the New Testament’s forgeries were manufactured by early Christian leaders trying to settle theological feuds.

Were Jesus’ disciples ‘illiterate peasants?'

Ehrman’s book, like many of his previous ones, is already generating backlash. Ben Witherington, a New Testament scholar, has written a lengthy online critique of “Forged.”

Witherington calls Ehrman’s book “Gullible Travels, for it reveals over and over again the willingness of people to believe even outrageous things.”

All of the New Testament books, with the exception of 2 Peter, can be traced back to a very small group of literate Christians, some of whom were eyewitnesses to the lives of Jesus and Paul, Witherington says.

“Forged” also underestimates the considerable role scribes played in transcribing documents during the earliest days of Christianity, Witherington says.

Even if Paul didn’t write the second book of Timothy, he would have dictated it to a scribe for posterity, he says.

“When you have a trusted colleague or co-worker who knows the mind of Paul, there was no problem in antiquity with that trusted co-worker hearing Paul’s last testimony in prison,” he says. “This is not forgery. This is the last will and testament of someone who is dying.”

Ehrman doesn’t confine his critique to Paul’s letters. He challenges the authenticity of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John. He says that none were written by Jesus' disciplies, citing two reasons.

He says none of the earliest gospels revealed the names of its authors, and that their current names were later added by scribes.

Ehrman also says that two of Jesus’ original disciples, John and Peter, could not have written the books attributed to them in the New Testament because they were illiterate.

“According to Acts 4:13, both Peter and his companion John, also a fisherman, were agrammatoi, a Greek word that literally means ‘unlettered,’ that is, ‘illiterate,’ ’’ he writes.

Will the real Paul stand up?

Ehrman reserves most of his scrutiny for the writings of Paul, which make up the bulk of the New Testament. He says that only about half of the New Testament letters attributed to Paul – 7 of 13 - were actually written by him.

Paul's remaining books are forgeries, Ehrman says. His proof: inconsistencies in the language, choice of words and blatant contradiction in doctrine.

For example, Ehrman says the book of Ephesians doesn’t conform to Paul’s distinctive Greek writing style. He says Paul wrote in short, pointed sentences while Ephesians is full of long Greek sentences (the opening sentence of thanksgiving in Ephesians unfurls a sentence that winds through 12 verses, he says).

“There’s nothing wrong with extremely long sentences in Greek; it just isn’t the way Paul wrote. It’s like Mark Twain and William Faulkner; they both wrote correctly, but you would never mistake the one for the other,” Ehrman writes.

The scholar also points to a famous passage in 1 Corinthians in which Paul is recorded as saying that women should be “silent” in churches and that “if they wish to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home.”

Only three chapters earlier, in the same book, Paul is urging women who pray and prophesy in church to cover their heads with veils, Ehrman says: “If they were allowed to speak in chapter 11, how could they be told not to speak in chapter 14?”

Why people forged

Forgers often did their work because they were trying to settle early church disputes, Ehrman says. The early church was embroiled in conflict - people argued over the treatment of women, leadership and relations between masters and slaves, he says.

“There was competition among different groups of Christians about what to believe and each of these groups wanted to have authority to back up their views,” he says. “If you were a nobody, you wouldn’t sign your own name to your treatise. You would sign Peter or John.”

So people claiming to be Peter and John - and all sorts of people who claimed to know Jesus - went into publishing overdrive. Ehrman estimates that there were about 100 forgeries created in the name of Jesus’ inner-circle during the first four centuries of the church.

Witherington concedes that fabrications and forgeries floated around the earliest Christian communities.

But he doesn’t accept the notion that Peter, for example, could not have been literate because he was a fisherman.

“Fisherman had to do business. Guess what? That involves writing, contracts and signed documents,” he said in an interview.

Witherington says people will gravitate toward Ehrman’s work because the media loves sensationalism.

“We live in a Jesus-haunted culture that’s biblically illiterate,” he says. “Almost anything can pass for historical information… A book liked ‘Forged’ can unsettle people who have no third or fourth opinions to draw upon.”

Ehrman, of course, has another point of view.

“Forged” will help people accept something that it took him a long time to accept, says the author, a former fundamentalist who is now an agnostic.

The New Testament wasn’t written by the finger of God, he says – it has human fingerprints all over its pages.

“I’m not saying people should throw it out or it’s not theologically fruitful,” Ehrman says. “I’m saying that by realizing it contains so many forgeries, it shows that it’s a very human book, down to the fact that some authors lied about who they were.”

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Another Quranic miracle , As if he is climbing up to the sky :

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Another Quranic miracle , As if he is climbing up to the sky :


In this article we will see one of Allah's signs which refer to a new discovered scientific fact. Let us read ….

It was a human dream to climb up to the sky and there were many tries to do that from thousands of years, but all of them were ended by failure till the twenty century when human was able to study layers of the air and to uses that knowledge to fly and invade the space.

In a scientific way, the scientists started at the beginning of the twenty century to study the structure of the atmosphere and they proved that it consists of oxygen and nitrogen. The oxygen represents 21%of the air, the nitrogen is 78% and the other gases like carbon and water vapor are 1% of the air.

Any disturbance in these ratios will eliminate life on earth. But God's mercy had determined these ratios without any changes except in small ratios. Therefore God be He exalted made the sky as a roof to save and keep us from harmful objects in the space and also from the transmitted harmful rays from the sun.

Gravity and density laws "which were exploited by God to serve us" are dividing the atmosphere to many layers, each layer has its characteristics and benefits.

So the law of gravity holds the earth by the atmosphere during its turning. That atmosphere is attached to the earth despite the millions of years. Concerning the density law, the scientists had discovered that the heavy liquids goes down and the lighter goes up so when we mix oil with water in a cup, the oil became on the top and the water in the bottom because oil is lighter than the water.

The same is applying for gases ,as the light gas goes up and the heavy one goes down, that is what happens in the atmosphere , the air which is near to the earth ground is heavier than the air in the top layered………….

Hence, the air pressure, density and weight are gradually arranged till we reach the top layer of the atmosphere where there is no air or pressure.

The diminution of oxygen in the upper layers of the sky is a known scientific fact. So that we see mountains climbers put containers which are full of oxygen on their shoulders to breath with it while climbing because oxygen decreases at the tops of the mountains.



The photo below is a satellite photo for Himalayas which are the world's highest peaks, scientists found that the oxygen decrease when we goes up till we reach a point where there is no oxygen.

The first feeling when human ascends to a higher place is dyspnea and constriction in the lungs till he suffocates and dies. This scientific fact was unknown at the time of the descending of the Qur'an as no one at that time knew anything about what is called oxygen also no one knew that when we goes up oxygen decreases.

But the holy Qur'an described this scientific fact precisely when God be He exalted described the strayed man who is far from his God as if a human who is living in the upper layers of the atmosphere as he can't breath and always feels with dyspnea and constriction in the lungs till he reaches the maximum point where he is going to die. God says :( and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky)(Sûrat Al-An’âm- verse 125).



God gave human two lungs and exploited the air in the atmosphere to him; also He descended the Qur'an with orders of happiness in the world and in the hereafter. So if the human is far from these orders, he will be as if he is ascending to the upper layers of the atmosphere where there is no air so his breast will be closed and he will suffer in his life till he dies.

God be He exalted told us about this scientific fact from hundreds of years in concise and few words as He says:(He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky).

Who told prophet Mohamed about this Physical Law? And who told him that human when ascends toward the sky feels with dyspnea and constriction in the lungs?

--------------------

References:

Allen, O.E. Atmosphere (Time-Life, 1983).
Maury, Jean-Pierre. The Atmosphere (Barron, 1989).
Parker, Steve. The Earth and How It Works (Dorling-Kindersley, 1993).

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