An open letter to my Muslim friend: answering Islamic objections
If you have time to read my open letter to my Muslim friend, you will learn the apologetics necessary to respond to Islamic objections to Christianity and realize the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yahweh is far greater, more satisfying to the soul, more loving and merciful than the Islamic understanding of God through Allah, which is why Yahweh (Christ) is the one true God Almighty. Not to mention, the biblical accounts are more historically reliable than Islamic tradition.
The best approach is to find common ground, address the belief systems, and then bring to the table the inconsistencies and fundamental differences (approx. 10 min read).
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To my Muslim friend:
I am writing to you to appeal to you the specialness of Jesus Christ, as Christians understand Him. I understand that you also hold Jesus as special and, in some ways, ‘set apart,’ but when Christians say this, it means something very different. I know you have probably already thought through some of this, but if I could just lend your attention for about 15 minutes, I would be honored.
First, I want you to know that I have done some research and have come to some understanding of what you may believe about Jesus Christ: (1) that Jesus is a messenger of Allah (prophet), (2) that Jesus is the Messiah, (3) Jesus performed miracles, (4) that He was born of a virgin, and (5) that Jesus Christ will return.
To begin, I would like to briefly go through each one:
(1) Messenger of Allah (Prophet)
Jesus is considered to be a prophet of Allah. He is referred to as a “messenger” specifically in the Quran text. However, the Quran is clear that Jesus is “nothing more” than a messenger of Allah, not to be confused with the Christian understanding as being not only a prophet but God in the flesh.
• Surah 5:75 Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food.
• Surah 5:46 And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.
• Surah 19:30 He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet."
(2) Jesus as Messiah
The Quran teaches that Jesus is a Messiah-type figure, who is elevated to (or perhaps above) the prophetic significance of Moses. He has come to warn and point people to worship Allah.
• Surah 19:21 He said: "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': It is a matter (so) decreed."
As previously stated, the Islamic understanding of the Messiah is not the Christian understanding. The Gospels and the prophets teach that the Messiah will be God in the flesh and that Christ is God, the Word of God, who has come to us (John 1:1-14). This is considered blasphemy according to the Quran.
• Surah 5:17 In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary.
• Surah 5:116 Allah will say: "O Jesus, the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart..."
(3) Jesus as One Who Performed Miracles
Similar to the Gospel accounts, the Quran claims that Jesus performed miracles and was accused by others of having demonic influence. Accusing the miracles that Jesus performed as evil or of Satan was considered blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (or at least a warning of coming close to committing that sin) in Mathew 12, Luke 12, and Mark 3. The Quran attests to these accounts:
• Surah 5:110 O Jesus, the son of Mary! Recount My favor to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel, and behold! Thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! Thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.'
(4) Jesus Born of a Virgin
The Quran attests to the virgin birth as stating that Mary’s chastity (virginity) was “guarded.” It even states that she was impregnated by a “spirit” which gave birth to Jesus (Isa).
• Surah 21:91 And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples.
• Surah 19:19-20 He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son." She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"
(5) Jesus Will Return
The Quran teaches of the second coming of Jesus Christ. Since the crucifixion is denied in Islam, it is taught that Jesus was taken up into heaven without seeing death. Muslims believe that Jesus will return as a radical Muslim, demanding that everyone worship Allah and then die. During his second return, he will proclaim that everyone who said he was Allah will be judged and thrown into hell.
• Surah 43:61 And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore, have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.
• Surah 5:72 They do blaspheme who say: "Allah is Christ, the son of Mary." But said Christ: "O Children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord, and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with Allah, - Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode.
—I did further research to see what other Muslims believe about Jesus and their basic understanding of Him. I found an Islamic site that answered several of these questions from a practicing Muslim, which I have recorded here, along with a brief response (objection) to the Islamic claims provided on this site:
1. Please describe your understanding of Jesus.
“The Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. The Jews, who rejected Jesus as a prophet, called him an impostor, while the Christians, on the other hand, considered him to be the son of God and worshiped him as such. Islam considers Jesus to be one of the greatest and most forbearing of prophets, in addition to Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad; peace be upon them (site admin, 2016).”
ANSWER: I think it is important to note that the Islamic understanding of Jesus came to pass through the Prophet Muhammad, 600 years after the birth of the early Church. Up until that point, the understanding of Jesus within the early church was that he was God in the flesh. Even though Islam disregards the gospel accounts as corrupted, there are also early church writings, such as Polycarp, Clement, Ignatius, Irenaeus, and others, who describe Jesus as Lord and God. Even pagan, Roman, and non-believing Jewish writings affirmed that the early church worshipped Jesus as God.
For example, Pliny the Younger (AD 62-113), a Roman governor, wrote this: “They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food–but food of an ordinary and innocent kind (Pliny, The Younger and Elmer Truesdell Merrill 1927).”
Christians believe Christ to be God in the flesh, as spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). They believe that He is fully God and fully man, revealed as God entering His own creation through the man of Jesus Christ. The German scholar Johan Weiss called the worship of Christ ‘the most significant step of all in the history of the origins of Christianity (Weiss, 1959).’
Paul wrote this to the early church in 52-55 AD, “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).”
2. What does Islam mean when it calls Jesus the Messiah?
“As Christians do, Muslims also believe in the return of Jesus the Messiah to earth, although his role and reason for his return differ from what the Christians propose. He will return to earth first and foremost to prove his mortality and refute the false beliefs people held about him. He will live a normal life, marry, and die as any other human. At that point, the matter will be clear concerning him, and all people will have believed that he was truly mortal (Ibid).”
ANSWER: There are various ways Muslims interpret the meaning of Jesus as the Messiah, partially because the Quran is silent about what that specifically means. Jesus is the only one called the Messiah in the entire Quran.
Most of the Islamic understanding of the Messiah is “messenger.” Christianity and Islam use similar terms but have different meanings. This is why interfaith dialogue is so important. The nuances and semantics can change the meaning of the words being used. When Christians use the word Messiah, it means he is the savior of the world (God). When Muslims use the word Messiah, they use it in an eschatological role (i.e., he will return at the end of time). Sometimes, when Muslims use the word messiah, they are referring to him as a reformer (Qureshi, 2015).
3. What does the Qur’an mean by Jesus being the word of God (Surah 3:45)?
“There is no other prophet, or any other human being given the title by which Allah honors Jesus as His word; so, in this sense, we can say that Jesus is the Word of God according to the Qur’an. Nevertheless, the words of God are many, and we can understand the designation given to Jesus better if we consider other verses of the Qur’an in which similar phrases are used… there is an important connection between the “Word of God” as a title for the Messiah, and the creative word of God; not because Jesus as Logos plays any part in creation, but because Jesus is directly created by the command of God without the mediation of a father (Jesus as Kalimat Allah, the Word of God, 2018).”
ANSWER: Muhammad affirms that Jesus is the word of Allah. The Spirit that preceded the word of God came into Mary (Surah 4:171). The problem is that Muhammad borrowed many terms from the Bible and changed the meaning of the terms. ‘The Word of God’ is one of those terms. He uses the term “Word of God,” which is found in the Bible, and then reduces the meaning to only meaning “messenger.” According to a previous Muslim, who is now a Christian apologist, said in an interview, “He [Jesus] is the pre-existing word, according to the Quran. Muhammad adopted certain Christian beliefs so that Christians could take his doctrine seriously (CIRA Int. 2022).”
“Allah gives you the good news of John, as a confirmer of a Word from God, eminent and chaste, a prophet, among the righteous (Surah 3:39).” However, in the scripture the Quran is referring to, John doesn’t just call Jesus a word FROM God but speaks of Jesus being the eternal word (John 1:1-14) and describes Jesus as God in the flesh. The Quran denies the deity, but Muhammad adopts the claims of scripture (affirming that Jesus was eternal and existed beforehand as a spirit, who became flesh when he entered his blessed mother) “to entice Christians to listen to him (Ibid).” Regarding Jesus’ divinity as the Son of God (Trinitarian doctrine), the Quran condemns the Christian understanding of the Trinity (Surah 5:116), but nowhere does it accurately define the Trinity. Overall, the Quran does not understand the orthodox understanding of the Trinity (Ibid).
Nabeel Qureshi, a previous devout Muslim who converted to Christianity, describes the Trinity as “one being, three persons.” He compared it to mankind. We are all the same ‘beings’ as human beings, but we are different persons within mankind. God is the one being, with three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Ibid).
What I have found to be the two biggest barriers to Muslims accepting the claims of Christianity are (1) the belief that the Bible has been corrupted regarding the divinity of Christ (God in the flesh) and (2) the crucifixion. I also understand that Muslims believe that the Bible has been corrupted by the Jews and Christians to suit their own desires and agendas. The Qur’an also speaks of scripture being misinterpreted and that Jews and Christians are passing certain scripture off as scripture that is not scripture. The Quran does not speak of altering the actual biblical manuscripts themselves (Ibid). At the same time, the Qur’an uses the law and the gospels to authenticate Muhammad.
With that being said, I pray you consider the reliability of the Bible with a few pieces of evidence. First, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. From this discovery in the 1940s, we have Old Testament manuscripts dating back as early as 100-200 B.C, which prophetically confirm the New Testament scriptures. We also have NT manuscripts that date back to the second century, which were written prior to Muhammad. These ancient documents contain the same content in our Bible today, with 95% accuracy (variances only being trivial) (Ibid). Please consider this evidence that challenges the claims made in the Quran about the Jews and Christians corrupting scripture, is not actually true. The evidence shows that Christians did not add or subtract scripture to the NT later on. Another piece of evidence that challenges the Quran’s claims on the matter is found in early church writings.
Early church leaders, such as Polycarp, Ignatius, Irenaeus, and Clement, wrote extensively in the first and second centuries, quoting the New Testament scriptures. If their writings quoting NT scripture were all gathered, we would have 95% of the written NT from their writings alone. Their writings date from 100-150 AD, which is also several centuries prior to the birth of Muhammad and Islam. From the evidence of manuscripts and early church writings, what was considered NT scripture was clearly agreed upon in a consistent manner since the early church was born at the time of the resurrection.
The Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are denied by Muslims, which is the foundation of the faith for Christians. These are foundational disagreements that fundamentally put Islam and Christianity in different arenas. Historically, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is agreed upon by secular and Christian scholars as a historical fact. Muslims must, at some point, deny historical accuracy to hold their belief that the crucifixion and resurrection did not happen. This is a barrier that can be overcome, but it will take time and patience due to the strong, long-held beliefs Muslims have about the crucifixion.
The reason the crucifixion is a foundational piece to our Christian faith is that our faith is based on the resurrection, which requires the crucifixion (death of Christ). The apostle Paul says, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).” Muslims believe humans are good by nature, while Christians believe humans are sinful by nature. The Bible teaches that the wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23) and that there must be atonement for the remission of sins (Romans 3:25). Christ has come as our atoning sacrifice to take away the sins of the world because he was the perfect lamb of God, prepared in advance to be the sacrifice for all sins for those who believe in His name (John 1:29). The Islamic understanding of salvation is that one’s good deeds outweigh one’s bad deeds (Ibid, 108), while the Bible teaches that salvation is found in Christ alone when we trust in his death, burial and resurrection. The Bible also teaches that Jesus Christ died a literal, historical death, and also had a literal (not metaphysical or symbolic) resurrection from the dead.
Not only do I want to appeal to your conscience by historical evidence, but I believe it is also important to appeal to your heart and note the differences between how God is seen in the Qur’an vs. the God of the Bible (Ibid, 110): (1) The God of the Qur’an does not love the prodigals, and Allah loves not those who do wrong (Surah 3:140, Ali), vs. the Biblical God that proclaims, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8);” (2) Allah desires to afflict them for some of their sins (Surah 5:49), but the God of the Bible “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23); and (3) Allah has provided a written word from heaven, while the God of the Bible sent a Person, Jesus Christ.
I pray you consider some of this as evidence that God is even greater than maybe what you have realized in your Islamic faith. He is more loving, present, and sacrificial than Allah is characterized in the Quran. There is ample evidence that the Bible is a reliable historical text and that the events outlined in scripture likely happened exactly the way they are written in the Bible. If these claims are true… if the resurrection did in fact happen…and if Jesus is “God in the flesh” … what does that mean for your life? How would that change your understanding of God and His love for you? It is very different to have a God that is somewhat unknown, unpredictable, and unacquainted with suffering for us, versus a God that has visited His people, suffered for the sake of our souls, and has made promises we can place our lives in with assurance, which gives peace that surpasses all understanding. Is it possible you are loved more than you realize?
Let me know if you have any questions or want to discuss this beautiful story any further.
With love,
Sarah