Peace be upon you Karenmuslimah,
I have three points in response to your post:
1- Quoting from the Bible
Muslims believe that the Scriptures of the earlier prophets [peace be upon them] were indeed revealed to them from God Almighty. Please read the interpretation of the following verses of the Qur'an:
"Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel before, as a guidance for the people. And He revealed the Criterion [i.e., the Qur'an]. " (The Qur'an 3:2 to part of verse 4).
"Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price [i.e., worldly gain]. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers. And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives [up his right as] charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the wrongdoers [i.e., the unjust]. And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah, and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous. And let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient. And We revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book [i.e., the Qur'an] in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it." [The Qur'an 5:44 to part of 48]
However, it is also mentioned in the Qur'an that these Scriptures have been corrupted:
"Do you (faithful believers) covet that they will believe in your religion inspite of the fact that a party of them (Jewish rabbis) used to hear the Word of Allâh [the Taurât (Torah)], then they used to change it knowingly after they understood it?"
[The Qur'an 2:75]
"Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allâh," to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby."
[The Qur'an 2:79]
"So, because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts grow hard. They change the words from their (right) places and have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them. And you will not cease to discover deceit in them, except a few of them. But forgive them and overlook (their misdeeds). Verily, Allâh loves Al-Muhsinûn (good-doers)"
[The Qur'an 5:13]
"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."
[The Qur'an 3:78]
Therefore, a Muslim should not base his beliefs on the Bible, which contains corrupted scriptures. Some of what's in the Bible might still be from the original Scripture, but is also definitely contains fabrications and corrupted verses, and so the Bible cannot be the basis for a Muslim's creed. If what's in the Bible agrees with the Qur'an and/or the Prophet's [peace be upon him] sayings, then we believe in it. If it does not agree with the Qur'an and/or the Prophet's [peace be upon him] sayings, we disbelieve in it. If it neither agrees nor disagrees, then we take a neutral position; meaning that we neither believe these to be from God Almighty nor do we rule out the chance that they are truly from God Almighty.
I think it's best to reflect upon the words of Abdullah ibn Abbas [may Allah be pleased with him]. He was one of the Companions of the Prophet [peace be upon him] and his cousin. He said the following:
"O Muslims? How do you ask the people of the Scriptures, though your Book (i.e. the Quran) which was revealed to His Prophet is the most recent information from Allah and you recite it, the Book that has not been distorted? Allah has revealed to you that the people of the scriptures have changed with their own hands what was revealed to them and they have said (as regards their changed Scriptures): This is from Allah, in order to get some worldly benefit thereby." Ibn Abbas added: "Isn't the knowledge revealed to you sufficient to prevent you from asking them? By Allah I have never seen any one of them asking (Muslims) about what has been revealed to you."
[Collected by Al Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 48, Number 850, translated by M. Muhsin Khan]
2- Quoting the sayings of the Prophet [peace be upon him]
When you mention a saying of Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him], you need to mention who collected this saying and provide proof that a scholar of
hadith has authenticated this saying. There are many fabricated reports out there that are falsely attributed to Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him]. When quoting a saying which was collected by either Muhammad ibn Ismaa'il Al-Bukhari or Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaaj Al-Qushairi, then it is sufficient to mention the
hadith number in either Sahih Al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, provided this hadith has a complete unbroken chain of narrators.
By reading your last post, it is very evident that you did not mention who collected these sayings nor did you provide any information about the authenticity of them.
3- The Messiah and the Mahdi
You posted the following:
These two Traditions make it obvious that the Messiah himself would be the Mahdi. He would lead the followers of the Holy Prophet and would be one of them, not an outsider. To think that the Messiah and the Mahdi are two different persons is wrong. It means that a follower of the Holy Prophet will rise for the purpose of revivifying the world, but initially will not have the rank of a prophet. Then the promise relating to the second coming of Jesus will be fulfilled in his person and he will announce himself as the Promised Messiah. The Tradition, therefore, tells us that the Promised One will start his career as a Muslim reformer who will become invested with the office of Messiah. Divine prophecies have to employ metaphors.
Your conclusion is just totally wrong. The Messiah Jesus Christ {peace be upon him] and the Mahdi are two different people.
Please read the following religious opinions of Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid. Before I relate these opinions, I'll mention a short glossary which contains many Arabic words [written in English Letters]and their meanings, since a person not familiar with them may be lsot when he reads them:
Isnad: chain of narrators through which a saying or a deed of the Prophet [peace be upon him] was reported.
Hadith or
Hadeeth: The sayings of the Prophet [peace be upon him].
Mutawaatir: Certain authenticity. This term is used to describe the most authentic of the Prophet's [peace be upon him] sayings.
Saheeh or
Sahih: Authentic
Ummah: nation
The first opinion was his answer to question no. 10302 [The Messiah son of Maryam and the false messiah (Dajjaal)]:
"Question:
What is the difference between the Mahdi and the Messias?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The texts state that the awaited Mahdi will come at the end of time, and he will be a just ruler descended from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He is not infallible, unlike the Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him), on who, according to the mutawaatir reports will come down at the end of time and will rule according to the sharee’ah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The difference between them is that the Messiah ‘Eesa is a Prophet and the Mahdi is a just ruler. For more details on the false messiah (Dajjaal), please see Question# 8806 .
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid"
Source:
http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=10302&ln=eng
The following is also his opinion in answering question no. 10301 [The emergence of the Mahdi]:
"Question:
Is it told in the Quran when the Mahdi will come to save the muslims? .
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Muslim must understand that evidence from both the Qur’aan and Sunnah are of the same level and must be followed equally. Both the Qur’aan and Sunnah are Revelation (Wahy) from Allaah and must be followed. Allaah says concerning His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):
“Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
It is only a Revelation revealed”
[al-Najm 53:4-3]
It was narrated from al-Miqdaam ibn Ma’dikarib that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Beware! I have been given the Qur’aan and something like it, yet the time is coming when a man replete on his couch will say: ‘Keep to the Qur’aan; what you find in it to be permissible treat as permissible, and what you find in it to be prohibited treat as prohibited.’”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4606; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani – may Allah have mercy on him – in Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 3848).
Secondly:
Allaah has enjoined that His Messenger is to be obeyed independently of the Qur’aan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority”
[al-Nisa’ 4:59]
“And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)”
[al-Hashr 59:7]
Thirdly:
It is not narrated in either the Qur’aan or the Sunnah precisely when the Mahdi will emerge, but he will emerge at the end of time. However we must point out the following:
1- The emergence of the Mahdi will be one of the last minor signs of the Hour.
2- Many people claimed that the Mahdi has emerged or will emerge to support their personal aims and misguided beliefs, such as the Qadianis (Ahmadis), Baha’is, Shi’ah and other deviant groups. This has led some later scholars to reject the ahaadeeth which speak of the Mahdi or to misinterpret them by saying that what is meant by the Mahdi is the descent of ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary – peace be upon him) at the end of time. Some of them quote a hadeeth that is attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which says, “There is no Mahdi apart from ‘Eesa ibn Maryam.”
This hadeeth is da’eef (weak) and cannot be soundly attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). See al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 1/175, by al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him).
3- Many scholars have written books confirming that the Mahdi will emerge, and describing that as part of the belief (‘aqeedah) of the Muslim. For example: al-Haafiz Abu Na’eem, Abu Dawood, Abu Katheer, al-Sakhaawi, al-Shawkaani, and others.
4- It is proven in the Sunnah that the Mahdi will meet ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) and that ‘Eesa will pray behind him.
Muslim (156) narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘A group of my ummah will continue to fight for the truth and prevail until the Day of Resurrection. Then ‘Eesa ibn Maryam will come down and their leader will say, “Come and lead us in prayer.” But he will say, “No, you are leaders of one another” – as an honour to this ummah.’”
The leader mentioned in this hadeeth is the Mahdi. According to a report narrated by Abu Na’eem and al-Haarith ibn Usaamah, “Their leader the Mahdi will say…” Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Its isnaad is jayyid (good).”
5- The Muslim should not wait for the emergence of the Mahdi, rather he has to strive hard and devote his efforts to support Islam, and to do whatever he can for the religion. He should not hope and wait for the emergence of the Mahdi or anyone else, rather he should correct himself, his family and the people around him, so that when he meets Allaah he meet Him having done his best.
See Al-Mahdi Haqeeqah wa laa Khuraafah by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ismaa’eel.
Islam Q&A"
Source:
http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=10301&ln=eng
And the following is his answer to question no. 1252 [Is the Mahdi real or not?]. I have underlined that sayings of the Prophet [peace be upon him] that show the the Mahdi's name will be Muhammad son of Abdullah and that he will be from the descendants of Fatimah [May Allah be pleased with her...the Prophet's daughter]. I advise you to read the whole opinion carefully:
"Question:
Is the hadith about the coming of Mehdi Saheeh?
Because I was told by a friend of mine, that it's not and it's a weak hadith.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There are saheeh ahaadeeth that indicate that the Mahdi (peace be upon him) will appear at the end of time. He is one of the signs of the Hour. Among these ahaadeeth are the following:
1. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "At the end of the time of my ummah, the Mahdi will appear. Allaah will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the ummah will become great. He will rule for seven or eight years. (Mustadrak al-Haakim, 4/557-558; he said: this is a hadeeth whose isnaad is saheeh, although it was not reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. Al-Dhahabi agreed with him, and al-Albaani said: this is a saheeh sanad, and its men are thiqaat (trustworthy), Silsilat al-ahaadeeth al-saheehah, vol. 2, p. 336, hadeeth 771)
2. ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The Mahdi is one of us, a member of my family. Allaah will guide him in a single night.’" (Musnad Ahmad, 2/58, hadeeth 645, edited by Ahmad al-Shaakir, who said: its isnaad is saheeh; Sunan Ibn Maajah, 2/1367. This hadeeth was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 6735). Ibn Katheer said: "This means that Allaah will forgive him, grant him help, inspire him and guide him, when he was not like this before." (Al-Nihaayah, al-Fitan wa’l-Malaahim, 1/29; edited by Taha Zayni).
3. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage, with a high forehead and a long, thin, curved nose. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice as it was filled with oppression and injustice, and he will rule for seven years.’" (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitaab al-Mahdi, 11/375, hadeeth 4265; Mustadrak al-Haakim, 4/557; he said: this is a saheeh hadeeth according to the conditions of Muslim, although it was not reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. See also Saheeh al-Jaami, 6736).
4.
Umm Salamah said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) say: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage and family, from the descendants of Faatimah.’" (Sunan Abu Dawud, 11/373; Sunan Ibn Maajah. 2/1368. Al-Albaani said that it is saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6734)
5. Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will descend, and their leader the Mahdi will say, "Come and lead us in prayer," but he will say, "No, one of them should lead them as an honour to this ummah from Allaah."’" The version narrated by Muslim says: "… Then ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam (Peace be upon him) will descend and their leader will say, ‘Come and lead us in prayer,’ but he will say, ‘No, some of you are leaders over others as an honour from Allaah to this ummah.’" (Reported by Muslim, 225)
6. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "He is one of us, behind whom ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will pray." (Reported by Abi Na’eem in Akhbaar al-Mahdi. Al-Albaani said it is saheeh; see al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 5/219, hadeeth 5796).
7.
‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood reported that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled by a man from my family whose name will be the same as mine." (Musnad Ahmad, 5/199, hadeeth 3573. Another version says: "… whose name is the same as mine and whose father’s name is the same as my father’s." Sunan Abi Dawud, 11/370).
The ahaadeeth concerning the appearance of the Mahdi reach the level of Tawaatur in meaning (tawaatur refers to a hadeeth which was narrated by so many people through so many isnaads that it is inconceivable that they could all have agreed on a lie). The imaams and scholars of this ummah have stated this, and a few of their comments are quoted below:
1. Al-Haafiz Abu’l-Hasan al-Aabiri said: "The mutawaatir reports from the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) describing the Mahdi are very many. They state that the Mahdi will be of his family, that he will rule for seven years, that he will fill the earth with justice, that ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will emerge and help him to kill the Dajjaal, and that he will lead this ummah in prayer and ‘Eesaa will pray behind him."
2. Muhammad al-Barzanji said, in his book al-Ishaa’ah li Ashraat al-Saa’ah: "The major signs and the signs that will be immediately followed by the Hour: these signs are many, of which the Mahdi will be the first. Know that the ahaadeeth that have been narrated about him in various reports are numerous." He also said: "You know that the ahaadeeth which speak of the Mahdi, his appearance at the end of time, and his lineage and descent from the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) via Faatimah reach the level of tawaatur in meaning, so there is no point in denying them."
3. Al-‘Allaamah Muhammad al-Safaareeni said: "There are so many reports which speak of the appearance of the Mahdi that they reach the level of tawaatur in meaning; they are very popular among the scholars of Sunnah and have become part of their faith." Then he quotes a number of ahaadeeth and reports about the appearance of the Mahdi and the names of the Sahaabah from whom they were narrated: "Many reports were narrated from the Sahaabah whose names were mentioned and others whose names were not mentioned, may Allaah be pleased with them all, and from the Taabi’een after them, all of which proves that this is definitive knowledge. Belief in the appearance of the Mahdi is obligatory, as it has been confirmed by the scholars and is listed among the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah."
4. Al-‘Allaamah al-Mujtahid al-Shawkaani said: "The ahaadeeth that we have come across that speak of the awaited Mahdi reach the level of tawaatur, including fifty saheeh, hasan and da’eef munjabar ahaadeeth. There are mutawaatir without a doubt; indeed they are more mutawaatir than others, according to all the standards of usool. There are also many reports from the Sahaabah that speak about the Mahdi and that reach the level of marfoo’, so there is no room for individual opinions in such an issue."
5. Al-‘Allaamah al-Shaykh Siddeeq Hasan Khaan said: "Even though there are different versions of reports concerning the Mahdi, they are so many that they reach the level of tawaatur in meaning. They are to be found in al-Sunan and other books of Islam."
6. Al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ja’far al-Kattaani said: "The conclusion is that the ahaadeeth narrated concerning the Mahdi are mutawaatir, as are the ahaadeeth concerning the Dajjaal and the descent of ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace." (See Ashraat al-Saa’ah by Yoosuf ibn ‘Abdullaah al-Waabil, pp. 195-203).
You should be aware that some liars have fabricated ahaadeeth about the Mahdi, and others have even claimed to be he, or that he belongs to a group other than Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah. Some of these "false mahdis" have tried to deceive the slaves of Allaah for some worldly gain and to distort the picture of Islaam. Some have started movements and revolutions and gathered those people and supporters whom they were able to deceive. Then they were destroyed, and their lies and falsehood were exposed. None of this affects the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah in the Mahdi, upon whom be peace, and that he will undoubtedly appear and rule the earth in accordance with Islamic Sharee’ah. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid"
Source:
http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=1252&ln=eng
I hope you all the best.
Regards,
Bluegazer
Wassalamu Alaikum
and help to celebrate such event...would highly raise our religious-emotions. I wonder what would Christians say about the other Christains who help or take part to celebrate the Eid-Adha...if they really exist?? We love all the other prophets of Allah Swt, and we respect them all...as they have all come with true .Islamic-teachings...not falsified. And we're the ones who will take charge of all kind of celebration, as we're the mostly concerned, and remain loving all of them and worshiping the almighty Allah.
) to reject such "nice offer" of going to that party.
