Man-made Christianity

TO OBTAIN PROOF OF THE DISTORTION OF CHRISTIANITY AND ITS MAN-MADE ADDITIONS, WE NEED LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THE FESTIVAL OF EASTER:

HONOURING PAGANISM
Easter was originally a pagan festival honouring the so-called goddess of Spring and renewal, Oestar. Only 700 years after Jesus (peace be upon him) was the word used for the celebration of his so-called resurrection.

EGGS
The handing out of Easter eggs dates back to ancient pagan traditions as well. In ancient Egypt and Persia eggs were exchanged in Spring as a symbol of new life.
Thus, one of the most important Christian festivals only originated hundreds of years after Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and then too incorporated pagan aspects.
It is abhorrent for a Muslim to hold on to pagan ideas after the truth has come. Equally repugnant is to create innovations in religion. Things not found in the time of Jesus (alaihis salaam) are celebrated with great show by Christians.

THE TRUTH IS only Islam, pure and unadulterated. We need to beware of devising new celebrations and ideas, which were not found in the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)’s era, and make them part of Islam as the Christians have done.

Stoning in the Bible

DO CHRISTIANS believe the Bible to be God’s word? If so, then the Bible says:

Deuteronomy 22:21 Then they shall bring out the damsel (who had committed adultery) to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die …

Leviticus 20:10 If … a man … commits adultery with another man's wife … the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death

Deut 22:24 Then ye shall bring them both (the adulterers) out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die;

Practicing on the Bible

Do Christians practice on the Bible, their holy book?
THE MISSIONARY zeal to convert people to Christianity focuses on a few aspects and brushes over other, more important, points.
Look at this cursory glance at the Bible’s verses and see for yourself how much of the Bible is ignored by Christian theological hierarchy: the priests and popes.

DEATH PENALTY
Leviticus 20:9 If anyone...curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death…
20:13 If a man...lies with a male as those who lie with a woman...they shall surely be put to death.

FREE FOR ALL
Deuteronomy 23:24 When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure…
Try explaining this to a Christian as you eat from his fruit!

INTEREST
Deut 23:19 Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
Perhaps your Christian bank manager can explain this law more clearly.

CLOTHES
Deut 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: Ever heard this one from a Christian? When a Muslim says this then he is ridiculed.
Deut 22:11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of (different) sorts, as of woollen and linen together. Watch out for those t-shirts made with a combination of materials.

TOILET
Deut 23:13 …when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig..., and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
The stand up urinals favoured by Christians are in direct contravention of the Bible’s teachings.

BARRED
Deut 23:2 (An illegitimate person) shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter…

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The Bible is apparently only for stirring sermons, not for practical implementation in daily life.
Let us not fall into this trap and make the Qur’aan a book only to be read beautifully and not practiced upon.

Christmas

JESUS (PEACE BE UPON HIM) IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN BORN ON 25th DECEMBER. LET’S LOOK AT SOME FACTS:

• The first Christian churches held this festival in May, April or January. Scholars of the first two centuries even differ in which year he was born.
• Grolier’s Encyclopaedia states that the church did not observe a festival for the celebration of the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) until the 4th century.
• The Romans celebrated the feast of the Invincible Sun on 25th December since 274.
• The pagan idol Buddha is believed to have been born on this day.
• The Egyptians celebrated it as the birthday of their so-called god Horus.
• The Greeks believed Hercules and Adonis, two false gods, to have been born on this day.

The Romans presided over the council of Nicea in 325 which lead to official Christian recognition of Trinity as the "true" nature of god and that Jesus (peace be upon him) was born on 25th December. Gibbon says that they fixed Christmas to the day of their celebration of the birthday of Sol, the so-called god of the sun. (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol 2, pg 383)

Christmas came long after Jesus (peace be upon him) and is borrowed from paganism like Easter

A Look at the Early Church

Rodney Hoare, in his book A Piece of Cloth, gives some historical facts about the early Christian Church and how it has changed:

Paul, a former Jew, had never seen Jesus (alaihis salaam). Yet, after Jesus was taken up alive to the Heavens, Paul appeared on the scene and said he had been divinely inspired. He preached a Christianity different from that of the Disciples, the close companions of Jesus (alaihis salaam).

MAN OR GOD?
When Jesus describes himself in the Gospels (the Bible) one phrase is repeated by which he clearly wishes to be remembered: the son of man. It occurs 81 times in the Gospels and in 80 of these passages the phrase is used by Jesus himself. In Jewish Aramaic it often meant simply ‘man’ not God or son of God.

One of the Disciples, Peter, said in a sermon:
‘I speak of Jesus of Nazareth, a man singled out by God…’ [Acts 2:22-24]
In the years to come he was to lose that description. He was to become part of the Trinity, a part of God! The Disciples preached the truth but Paul preached something else, a falsehood that is present-day Christianity.

How Many Sons?

ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL beliefs of Christianity is that Jesus (peace be upon him) is the literal son of God. (John 3:16)

ONLY SON?
But the Bible describes other Prophets as God’s sons:

• Palms 2:7 – David (Dawood) (alaihis salaam) says, "the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son."
• Luke 3:38 – Jesus (alaihis salaam)’s lineage is given in the Bible as, "Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."
• Exodus 4:22 – God tells Moses, "Thus saith the Lord, Israel (Jacob) is my son."
• I Chronicles 22:10 - "He (Solomon) shall be my son, and I will be his father." So David, Solomon, Jacob and Adam are also called God’s sons!

The Jews, to whom the Old Testament was sent, knew that son did not mean a literal one and didn’t claim these Prophets to be such.

SO WHO IS JESUS PEACE BE UPON HIM?
Matthew 21:11 - "And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."
Jesus was a Prophet of God: Jesus said in John 10:30, "but go to my bretheren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

Thus God is not Jesus, nor is he a literal father. He is described as everyone’s father. So is everyone His SON???

Suicide Attacks in the Bible

While a search through the Qur’aan does not provide a basis for suicide attacks, such a basis is found in the Bible. It spiritualises and sanctifies suicide attacks.

The Bible states:

"Samson said to the servant who held his hand: "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them." Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. Then Samson prayed to the Lord: "O Sovereign Lord! Remember me! O God! Please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said: "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived." [Judges 16:26-30]

An examination of these verses establishes that:

• Samson prayed to his Lord to let him kill thousands of civilians with a single blow.
• He set out with the intent of suicide and taking as many as possible with him.
• His motive was personal revenge.
• His suicide attack was directed, not only at rulers, but at thousands of civilians as well.

Samson led, or judged Israel for 20 years (Judges 16:4-31). His mother received a visit from an angel, who told her she would give birth to an unusual son. He was thus a leader and chosen person who did this deed.

Many Bibles

The Qur’aan is read in the same Arabic the world over since its Revelation. Compared to the merry mix that is the Bible today, it is a magnificent miracle. Here is a condensed Bible history:

14th - 7th BC
Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible) took final form. Pentateuch is a compilation of a variety of sources. Rabbis edited it into its final form, adding material of their own.

250 BC - 70 CE Septuagint Compiled
Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures including other books termed Apocrypha. Septuagint forms the Old Testament in the Catholic, Greek and Ethiopian Bibles. Catholic Bible excludes parts. Ethiopian Bible includes books not in the Septuagint.

200 BC - 200 CE
52 false writings falsely credited to biblical figures. Not part of most Bible canons today, but influenced Judaism, Christianity and Bible writers.

30 CE - 397 CE
New Testament written by 40 human authors.

397 CE
In 393, Synod of Hippo officially established New Testament. Confirmed 4 years later by Synod of Carthage. It took Christians 400 years to finalize the Books to put in the Bible!

Is today’s Bible the original Revelation sent to Jesus (alaihis salaam)? No. And all Christians don’t have the same Bible.

Common Ground

The black Nguni people of South Africa comprising Zulus and Xhosa, make up a large percentage of SA’s population.
They were generally forced into Christianity under Colonial rule but retained original customs, many of which are similar to Islam:

MARRIAGE
There are remarkable similarities between certain Nguni marriage customs and Muslim marriages. It does not differ when it comes to the payment of the dowry (lobola [Xhosa]/mahr [Arabic]) or allowing polygamy.

BELIEF
Amongst the Ngunis there exists an idea of the Supreme Being (Unkulunkulu [Zulu] Qamata ka tayi [Xhosa]). It was replaced by ancestors/spirits as mediators between man and the Supreme Being. Muslims believe in One, Most Powerful God: Allah Ta’ala.

CHILDREN
A child born out of wedlock, in both traditions, does not adopt the father's family name but the mother’s. When an Nguni child is born animals are slaughtered. Animals are also slaughtered for a Muslim child.

WOMEN
After child birth no sexual relations are allowed with women. The same for Muslims. After the death of the husband a waiting period (inzilo [Xhosa], iddah [Arabic]) is instituted. Ngunis mourn for 6 months. In Islam it is 4 months and 10 days.

Every nation had a warner [Qur’aan 35:24]

Sing a Song

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was described in the original Torah (Old Testament) and Bible [Qur’aan 7:157]. With all the distortion, one can still find possible mention of him:

SONG OF SOLOMON (Old Testament) This Song is holy to Jews and Christians. Its real intent has not been understood according to Bible scholars. Muslims will understand it well as a description of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). It gives an amazing description confirmed by Hadith:

Song 5:10- My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand
HADITH: Rosy color [Bukhari 4:56]; White complexion [Bukhari, 1:63] Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) left Madinah IN THE COMPANY OF TEN THOUSAND (Muslim warriors) in Ramadan for Conquest of Makkah [Bukhari 5:574]

Song 5:11- His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
HADITH: His hair GLOSSY AND BLACK, INCLINED TO CURL, he wore it long." [Zad al Ma`d 2:45] When he (The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) died (at 63 years of age), HE HAD SCARCELY 20 WHITE HAIRS IN HIS HEAD AND BEARD. [Bukhari 4:747]

Song 5:12- His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
HADITH: He had black, attractive eyes finely arched by continuous eyebrows. [Zad al Ma`d 2:45]

Song 5:13- His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
HADITH: I never smelt ambergris or musk as fragrant as the fragrance of the body of Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). [Muslim 30:5759]

Song 5:16- His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely.
Chikko mamtaqeem, v'chulo MACHAMAD-im [Original Hebrew transliteration of this verse]
The word machamad is close to the Arabic Muhammad in pronunciation. The Hebrew-English Dictionary defines it as ‘precious one, praised one’. Muhammad means Praised One in Arabic! The way this word is written in Hebrew is the same as the word Muhammad. The only difference is in pronunciation.
Jewish scholars say: The whole word is not worth the day on which this Song was given to Israel; (it) is the holiest of the holy. [Tractate of Yaddayim 3:5, Mishna] Holy indeed, for it foretells the greatest of all Prophets (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!
This piece of Bible seems to speak explicitly of Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

Easter Quiz

The Bible has several versions to the Easter story. Try this quiz and see:

1. Who first came to the tomb on Sunday?
a. one woman (John 20:1)
b. two women (Matt. 28:1)
c. three women (Mark 16:1)
d. more than 3 women (Luke 23:55-56; 24:1,10)

2. She (they) came
a. while it was still dark (Matt. 28:1; John 20:1)
b. after the sun had risen (Mark 16:2)

3. The woman (women) came to the tomb
a. to anoint the body with spices (Mark 16:1-2; Luke 24:1)
b. just to look at it (Matt. 28:1; John 20:1)

4. The women obtained the spices
a. on Friday before sunset (Luke 23:54-56; 24:1)
b. after sunset on Saturday (Mark 16:1)

5. The first visitor(s) was/were greeted by
a. an angel (Matt. 28:2-5)
b. a young man (Mark 16:5)
c. two men (Luke 24:4)
d. no one (John 20:1-2)

6. The greeter(s)
a. was sitting outside the tomb (Matt 28:2)
b. was sitting inside the tomb (Mark 16:5)
c. were standing inside the tomb (Luke 24:3-4)

7. Jesus (alaihis salaam) first appeared
a. somewhere between the tomb and Jerusalem (Matt. 28:8-9)
b. outside the tomb (John 20:11-14)
c. in Galilee 130km north of Jerusalem (Mark 16:6-7)
d. on the road to Emmaus 11km west of Jerusalem (Luke 24:13-15)

13. Jesus (alaihis salaam) ascended
a. the same day he was resurrected (Mark 16:9,19; Luke 24:13,28-36,50-51)
b. 40 days after resurrection (Acts 1:3,9)

They did not kill him (Jesus) nor did they crucify him; but it (the matter) was made confusing to them… (Qur’aan)

The Promised One in Hindu Scriptures

Hindu professor, Pandit Benda Upadhi in his book Kalki Avatar, claims the description of Avatar found in the holy books of Hindu religion is of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam). According to Hindu holy books, the description of the Guide and Leader, named Kalki Avatar, fits only the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam):

1. In Hindu books, the names of the father and mother of Kalki Avatar are given as Vishnubhagat and Sumaani respectively. Vishnubhagat: Vishnu (meaning god) + Bhagat (slave) = Allah (God) + Abd (Slave of God) = Abdullah (in Arabic). Sumaani = Peace or Calmness = Aaminah (in Arabic)

2. The staple diet of Kalki Avatar would be dates and olive and he would be the most honest and truthful person in the Region. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam) fits this exactly.

3. It is stated in Vedas (Hindu holy book) that the birth of Kalki Avatar would take place in an honourable clan. This fits with the clan of Quraysh to which the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam) belonged.

4. God would teach Kalki Avatar through His messenger in a cave. Allah taught Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam) through Jibraeel in Cave Hiraa.

5. God would give Kalki Avatar a speedy horse to travel the world and 7 skies. This is an indication of the Buraaq and Mi’raaj.

6. Kalki Avatar was to be born on the 12th of a month. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam) was born on 12th Rabiul-Awwal.

7. Kalki Avatar would be an excellent horse rider and swordsman. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam) was both.

Al-Hidaaya - Courtesy of 'Sunday Standard', Nairobi, Kenya