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[jimwalton]

The Quran teaches there is no God but Allah. Sura 4.171 - “Jesus...was only a messenger of Allah...Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son.” (Cf. Quran 19.92). Muslims believe that Jesus was a great prophet who had prepared for Islam and spent 40 years in Kashmir preaching Islam after being revived in the tomb following his crucifixion.

Quotes from the Quran:

In “The Cow”:

[2.87] And most certainly We gave Musa the Book and We sent apostles after him one after another; and We gave Isa, the son of Marium, clear arguments and strengthened him with the holy spirit, What! Whenever then an apostle came to you with that which your souls did not desire, you were insolent so you called some liars and some you slew.

[2.136] Say: We believe in Allah and (in) that which had been revealed to us, and (in) that which was revealed to Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq and Yaqoub and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Musa and Isa, and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit.

[2.253] We have made some of these apostles to excel the others among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees of) rank; and We gave clear miracles to Isa son of Marium, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. And if Allah had pleased, those after them would not have fought one with another after clear arguments had come to them, but they disagreed; so there were some of them who believed and others who denied; and if Allah had pleased they would not have fought one with another, but Allah brings about what He intends.

In “The Women”:

[4.171] O followers of the Book! do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not speak (lies) against Allah, but (speak) the truth; the Messiah, Isa son of Marium is only an apostle of Allah and His Word which He communicated to Marium and a spirit from Him; believe therefore in Allah and His apostles, and say not, Three. Desist, it is better for you; Allah is only one God; far be It from His glory that He should have a son, whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His, and Allah is sufficient for a Protector.

The Bible, in distinction from the Quran, teaches that Jesus is MORE than a prophet:

1. Jesus is appointed (or destined to be) heir of all things. Ps. 2.8. He inherits not only the earth, but all of creation: heaven and earth. Jesus will inherit all creation at the end of time as is his due. This cannot be said of any prophet.
2. Jesus was the agent of creation. John 1.3; Col. 1.16. No prophet, human or otherwise, was present at creation.
3. Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory. John 1.14; James 2.1 (“our glorious Lord Jesus”); John 10.30; Hebrews 1.3. God’s glory was revealed on earth through Jesus Christ. Not the absolute glory of the Eternal Word, which could belong only to His pre-existent state, and to the conditions subsequent to his exaltation; but His glory revealed under human limitations both in Himself and in those who beheld him. The reference is again to the OT manifestations of the divine glory, in the wilderness (Ex. 16.10; 24.16, etc.); in the temple (1 Ki. 8.11); to the prophets (Isa. 6.3; Ezk. 1.28).
4. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s essential nature. John 1.18; John 10.30; John 14.9. He bears the very stamp of God. There is an exact correspondence between the two. What God essentially is, is made manifest in Christ. No prophet can make this claim.
5. Jesus sustains all things by his powerful word. Col. 1.17; Jn. 1.1-3. The word of Jesus is the instrument by which the universe continues in its stability. No prophet has this power or authority.
6. He provided purification for sins. Heb. 1.3. This is something clearly outside the realm of human capability.
7. He sat down at the right hand of God. Ps. 110.1; Phil. 2.9; Jn. 17.5; M7. 28.18; Eph. 4.10. His seatedness makes him superior to the prophets, because they go forth as God’s messengers and mouthpieces.

It is quite impossible that Allah and YHWH are the same being known by different names. It is also impossible that both Islam and Christianity are true—they contradict each other.

[Hmmm]

So, I'm confused.

. . . How can the Muslim faith have Jesus as a prophet when Jesus taught of sacrifice, love, and peace? I know most Muslims are peaceful, and loving people. But aren't Muslims taught about the Medinan period, where the jihad was brought to be as it is today. Muhammad became militant in his aspect of jihad. How can love, and peace be a part of the Muslim faith, when suicide in hatred for the infidel is also taught? It's a blatant contradiction.

[jimwalton]

Great question. Thanks for asking. Jesus (Isa) is clearly identified as a prophet. The Muslim recognize that God inspired the writings of four books: The Torah of Moses (our Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible), the Psalms of David, the Gospels, and the Qur'an, which supersedes and overrules the others. So the NT teachings about Jesus being a preacher of peace, love, and sacrifice would be the teachings of Islam as well. Jesus never taught about jihad, and specifically instructed his followers to be people of peace, not of violence.

Muhammad, in contrast, both taught and practiced jihad. More than 100 verses in the Qur'an preach jihadic violence. By contrast, very few verses of the Qur'an preach peace.

You should understand, though, that jihad as it is practiced by some Muslims today, specifically ISIS, is an interpretation of the texts. The texts themselves in the Qur'an are both ambiguous and open-ended, and they are not restrained by the historical context of our present age. Violent Muslims are choosing to engage in jihad based on their own moral preconceptions about justifiable violence.

But herein lies a serious problem. Since Islam claims that Muhammad and Jesus were both Muslims, and both prophets sent by Allah, these two mighty prophets must coincide in all points and never contradict each other. If the same Allah sent both of them, it is only logical to assume that their ministries and messages cannot in principle contradict each other.

I agree with you that it's a blatant contradiction. Muhammad preached blood and violence, and his life is marked by military conquest, slaughter, warfare, and violence. In Tabari 9:69, Muhammad said, "Killing Unbelievers is a small matter to us." It's a blatant contradiction to the teachings of Jesus who taught to turn the other cheek, put the sword away, return good for evil, and peacemaking. As the book of James teaches (3.10-12), the same mouth can't both bless and curse; a spring can't bubble with both fresh and salt water, and a fig tree can't bear olives. Since Jesus taught peace, and Muhammad taught war, how can they both be prophets of the one true God?

Feel free to talk to me more.