With respect Abu Lore. You should not criticise what you do not understand.
If you have not read about or understand sacrifice in the Old Testament, you cannot understand why God would become Man.
If you do not understand what worship of God is and what it means, you cannot understand why God would become Man.
If you refuse to accept that all men are sinners in need of a Savior and a Redeemer, you cannot understand why God would become Man.
If you do not realize that God IS Love, then you cannot understand why God would become Man;
If you refuse to accept God in the Old Testament of Abraham, Moses, and Noah as YHWH (Self-Existent One) or as ELOHIM (Strong One) or as Adonai (Lord) or as El Elyon (Most High) or as El Roi (Strong One) or as El Shaddai (Almighty One) or as El Olam (Everlasting ) then you cannot understand why God would become Man.
If you believe and follow only one mortal man's opinion and creation of his god, then you cannot understand why God would become Man.
If you do not understand why you were created, how this world and the next is NOT all about you, how you have estranged yourself from God by sinning, why all your human good intentions, rituals and good deeds are pathetic and woefully lacking in earning God's approval let alone righteousness and paradise when you die, then you cannot understand why God would become Man.
If you do not read about or understand God's unlimited Sovereignty over all His creation, if you do not accept God's Power over all His creation, then you cannot understand why God would become Man.
And if you choose to put God in a mortal box of a human's creation; if you put God into terms that mere mortals can understand; if you limit God's power, ability, creativeness, knowledge, wisdom, love and all else that He is, then certainly you cannot understand why God would become Man.
You see things from your perspective, which is fine, but others will see from a different view and that view will differ from yours but still can make perfect sense and logic to them. You are measuring our God by mere mortal ideologies. Our God is greater than that, with God anything is possible.
Tell me please..does it say in the Quran or Hadith or from any other sources that it is permissible for muslims to spread misconceptions and untruths about previous Holy scriptures? I have struggled with this idea for some time and I can see no point or reason why any Muslim should seek to prove previous revelations as false when their own revelation (Quran) uses it in validation of their word. Given the accepted fact that there is only ONE God and its up to the ONE God to guide his children to the path the ONE true God chooses for them.
Please desist in unpleasantness and ask what Our God expects of us all. Accept our differences and value our diversity. Question..? Compare...? Yes both are good because that way we reach better understanding. But it is not good to say one is lies and one is truth...they are just different. I respect your right to believe in Islam and your Holy Book the Quran as your truth as you know it to be, would it be kinder if you respected mine? Would our God approve of kindness.
Salam
Much was said but the original question was ignored, i wonder why..
I have not been unpleasant in any way, shape or from. The fact is that Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala Himself tells us in the Holy Qur'an that the Bible is corrupted.
Abu Loren, please do not take this as personal meaning yourself being unpleasant. I did not mean that accept my apologies if it came across that way. I meant it being unpleasant to read all the time hateful things about the Bible, many it is easy to see come from simple misunderstanding.
Where did Our God say in the Quran the Bible was corrupted? Can you provide a quote please? Because if this is indeed a fact do you understand the serious implications implied by this?
Hello Hajjerr, I did not address the question as I did not believe the questioner would be at all interested in an answer. maybe this was wrong of me. I shall of course answer, I will keep it simple as it was explained to me many years ago. I remember there was discussion on weather the battle was spiritual or an actual physical contact. We are taught that Jacob had an anger or inner struggle within him from birth, deceiving his brothers and full of fear and anxiety. He has enmity between his brother Esau all his life. He comes to a realisation that his struggle is not against Esau as man but rather against God himself. Before God can use Jacob in his plan as the father of the Israelite nation, Jacob must have a change of heart.
Do we take it as a spiritual battle? Later in the OLd Testament the Prophet Hosea tells of the life of Jacob, saying of his struggle started even in the womb with his brother and when he became a man he fought with God and won. At Bethel he met God face to face, and God spoke to him. It seems clear that we are meant to interpret that the "man or angel" was God himself. This may seem strange to believe but there are many occasions in the Old Testament that God spoke with his people...one has to remember that this was the time that God was laying down the rules about how his people should live. As I believe God is all powerful I do not question his methods. we also have to believe it was indeed a physical encounter and not spiritual because Jacob was left with a physical wound...a permanent limp.
I remember asking the question ..but surely God is all powerful he could so easy defeat Jacob in a blink of an eye? It was explained to me that God matched Jacob's strength but did not overpower him, so that the struggle could continue. Though God could obviously defeat Jacob at any time, the extended battle was somehow important to Jacob's spiritual development. When at daybreak the "man"/ God is ready to discontinue the wrestling match, he simply touches Jacob's hip and it is over. The lesson for us here is easy to understand...and everything in the Bible is a lesson for us to learn from, like your Quran.. ya.
So often in life are we in the midst of a struggle and praying for God to end it, only to find that He allows the struggle to continue? If you've ever been in a situation like this, wishing for something hard for you to be made easy or just go away, you also know that it is when we have to struggle for something and succeed we learn the greatest lesson and grow ourselves as a person. This is why God allowed Jacob to wrestle all night and why He leaves us in our trials, often far beyond what we think we can tolerate. But in His mercy, he does eventually reach down, and with "one touch" end the struggle. The fact that we may bear a scar, as Jacob did in his resulting limp, serves to remind us of His rescue and provision.
When at last the wrestling has subsided, the "man" asks Jacob what his name is. Of course He knew what Jacob's name was, but Jacob needed to come to terms with what his name meant. When he states his name, which means "the grasper" or "the deceiver", he is admitting who he is. His name is then changed to Israel, which means "he struggles with God" or "God prevails". He has had a fundamental shift in his relationship with God and in his concept of himself. He is ready to move into the Promised Land and into his role as the father of God's holy people.
That is how it was explained to me and it seemed a worthy lesson to learn. That God is with us always bad times and good. He can end the bad times easy if He wished..but our struggles to overcome them make us better and stronger.
Where did Our God say in the Quran the Bible was corrupted? Can you provide a quote please?
Salaam Ms Cariad,
I did not take it personally I assure you, I was just replying to what you wrote. No need to apologise as sometimes what we write can be misinterpreted.
Muslims do not hate the Bible nor are they allowed to say anything hateful about it. Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala tells us that it was indeed sent down from Him to His Prophets (Peace and blessings be upon them all). However, Muslims do accept that the Bible is corrupted by the hand of man.
Sahih International
So woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah ," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn. 2:79
Sahih International
And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allah ," but it is not from Allah . And they speak untruth about Allah while they know. 3:78
Hello Cariad
Your answer makes sense but not 100% as i dont find the meaning of a physical battle.
We, as you know, as muslims, make clear distinctions between people, angels, jinns and Allah swt, who tells us in Quran that He is far above any form people associate with Him (human form, spirit, white pigeon etc.)..but khair.
For me, and i speak from personal point of view, the christian holy books are much more hard to understand than the Quran, but i dont doubt the message was the same in origin and Allah from above takes care to place all believers in the right spot, according to their level of faith, effort and power of understanding, Alhamdulillah.
Here's some. You can find their commentaries in the links.
2:79
http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=355
3:78
http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=525&Itemid=46
4:157
http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=585&Itemid=59
5:13, 15, 17, 18, 19
http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=798&Itemid=60
http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=796&Itemid=60
QUESTIONS FOR CARIAD
In the Bible :-
1) Prophet Lot (Alayhi Salaam) had sexual relations with his daughters.
2) Prophet Noah (Alayhi Salaam) got drunk and appeared naked to his sons.
3) There are various other instances of incest concerning Prophets of God.
Do you believe all these stories?
In the Holy Qur'an Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala tells us that ALL of his Prophets were truthful, righteous and God fearing.
3) There are various other instances of incest concerning Prophets of God.
What you say, if these are truly the word of Our God has most serious consequences that maybe you do not see. As Yahweh so promised to keep his word safe in the Bible, yet the Quran claims God failed in this promise. You ask that I believe Our God who I believe is all powerful in His greatness is not capable of protecting his word from change by his lowly creation..man!
Why would I not believe them? Do you believe all the stories in the Quran? I'm am thinking you would say yes to that. I said before all in the Holy Bible serves as a lesson to be learnt.
It should be understood that Lot was never considered a Prophet of God in the Bible.
Prophet Noah...there is a lesson here..