No offence just an observation
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JESUS OR MUHAMMAD? A COMPARISON OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE WORLD’S TWO LARGEST RELIGIONS
INTRODUCTION
Jesus founded Christianity, Muhammad founded Islam. These are the two largest religions in the world with about 1.8 billion and 1.1 billion members respectively. These founders laid down many principles to live by. This paper compares and contrasts some of their actions and teachings. Certainly these men have affected humanity in a powerful way.
Both religions have much in common, and both differ strongly in other ways. What were the founders’ characters like? How do they compare with each other? What does the Bible and the Quran say about Jesus? What did their teachings and actions induce their followers to do?
A comparison / contrast follows.
SOME OF THEIR LAST WORDS
JESUS: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34. (said while on the cross dying).
MUHAMMAD: “May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of the prophets.” (said while dying in the arms of his wife Aisha). Bukhari, Vol. 1, 427.
Christ, asks God to forgive, while Muhammad, utters a bitter curse. Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate for Muhammad to have asked God to guide the Christians and Jews while he was dying?
SLAVERY
JESUS: had no slaves. Jesus taught to do to others as you would have them do to you. No one wants to be enslaved against their will. Further, Paul wrote in 1 Tim 1:8-10,
“We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreaders and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers…”
From these verses, we see that forcibly enslaving people, and trading in slaves, are against Christian teachings.
MUHAMMAD: was a slaver. He owned and sold many slaves, both male and female. He even claimed that Allah allowed him to have sex with his female slaves when he wanted to. Ref. Sura 33:50, 52, 23:5, and 70:30. Slaves are considered “booty” for Muslims when taken in battle.
Muhammad made slaves out of the people he raided and fought against. Most notable were the women and children survivors of Muhammad’s massacre of the 800 males of the Jewish Banu Quraydhah, Sura 33:26. The Sirat Rasulallah - the earliest biography of Muhammad, gives much more detail.
Bukhari also documents Muhammad owning many slaves - vol. 1, 530 & 807. Muhammad didn’t discriminate when it came to slavery, he had Negro, male, female, Jewish, Christian, and pagan Arab slaves.
Muhammad also allowed slaves to be beaten. When his wife was being examined as to whether or not she committed adultery, Muhammad’s son in law, Ali, brutally beat Aisha’s slave in front of Muhammad, in order to insure that she tell the truth about Aisha. Here is the quote from Ibn Ishaq’s “Sirat Rasulallah”, translated as “The Life of Muhammad”, by A. Guillaume, (page 496):
"So the apostle called Burayra (Aisha’s slave) to ask her, and Ali got up and gave her a violent beating saying, “Tell the apostle the truth,”…
Muhammad did not stop Ali from beating the slave.
SIN
JESUS: was sinless. 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 John 3:5, Heb. 4:15
MUHAMMAD: was declared to be a sinner in the Quran. Sura 40:55, 48:2. Muhammad also prayed for forgiveness of his sins, Bukhari vol. 1, 795, 796.
PUNISHING SINNERS WHO WERE WILLING TO REPENT
JESUS
From John 8:2-11
"At dawn He (Jesus) appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a women caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap in order to have a basis to accuse Him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the furst to threw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on th ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they” Has no one condemned you?" “No one sir”, she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
MUHAMMAD
From the Hadith of Abu Dawud, #4428
“Buraidah said: “A woman of Ghamid came to the Prophet and said: “I have committed fornication”, He said: “Go back”. She returned and on the next day she came to him again, and said: “Perhaps you want to send me back as you did to Maiz b. Malik. I swear by Allah, I am pregnant.” He said to her: “Go back”. She then returned and came to him the next day. He said to her: “Go back until you give birth to the child.” She then returned. When she gave birth to the child she brought the child to him, and said: “Here it is! I have given birth to it.” He said: “Go back, and suckle him until you wean him.” When she had weaned him, she brought him to him with something in his hand which he was eating. The boy was then given to a certain man of the Muslims and he (the prophet) commanded regarding her. So a pit was dug for her, and he gave orders about her and she was stoned to death. Khalid was one of those who were throwing stones at her. He threw a stone at her. When a drop of blood fell on his cheek, he abused her. The prophet said to him: “Gently, Khaild. By Him in Whose hand my soul is, she has repented to such an extent that if one who wrongfully takes an extra tax were to repent to a like extent, he would be forgiven”. Then giving command regarding her, prayed over her and she was buried.””
Here is a stark contrast of the two men. When Jesus dealt with the adulterous women, He did not condemn her. He commanded her to go and sin no more. He gave her a chance for redemption.
How many people have started out down the wrong street, but years later were able to turn their lives around? Not only in that, but they have been able to help others turn their lives around as well? Jesus offered this chance to the lady. Under the law, the Jews could have stoned the women, but Christ’s love and compassion was greater.
Muhammad did not deal well with the situation. At first, he tried to dismiss the adulterous women. She confessed her sin to him, but he refused to hear her and deal with it. Instead, he told her to go back. This occured three times. Three times Muhammad ran from dealing with the situation. Finally, after the women’s consistent confession, Muhammad had to deal with it. He allowed her to give birth, suckle and then wean the child, which could have taken 1 to 3 years. Then she returns. Muhammad has her killed.
This woman not only confessed, but she repented. She was a good mother to her child and she was a responsible member of her commmunity. Couldn’t Muhammad have forgiven her? Muhammad allowed many others off for the sins they committed. But Muhammad was unable to deal compassionately with the women. He couldn’t see beyond his nose. He couldn’t see that this lady had turned her life around, that she was bearing fruit, properly raising her child, and doing the right thing. Muhammad’s shortsightedness, caused her death.
WAR - TREATMENT OF ADVERSARIES
JESUS: In Luke 9:54, 55 Jesus rebuked His disciples when they wanted to destroy a town that rejected Him. Also, in Luke 22:52, Jesus’ disciples started to fight against those that came to arrest Jesus, He stopped them, and healed a man injured in the fight - .
MUHAMMAD: told his followers to aggressively make war on non-Muslims: 9:5, 29. Sura 9 was one of the last Suras given by Muhammad. Initially, when Muhammad’s group was weak, he ordered his followers to try to get along with other people. After the Muslims became powerful, he ordered them to spread Islam by force. Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman continued his wars of aggression.
Muhammad also massacred approx. 800 Jewish male captives: noted in Sura 33:26.
Muhammad also ordered the execution of 10 people when he took Mecca. Three of these people were slave girls who had previously made fun of Muhammad.
Muhammad attacked the Jewish city of Khaibar. He took one of the Jewish leaders and tortured him to force him to tell where some buried money was. After the man refused to talk, and was near death, Muhammad ordered that his head be cut off.
WOMEN & MARRIAGE
JESUS: was not married. He healed women, forgave women, and encouraged women. The New Testament teaches that husbands should love their wives and not be harsh with them: Col 3:19, Eph. 5:25, that men and women are equal in Christ - Gal 3:28, that they should be treated with respect - 1 Pet 3:7.
MUHAMMAD: told his male followers to beat their disobedient wives. He gave men the right to beat their wives who disobeyed them.
Sura 4:34 “As those you fear may be rebellious admonish, banish them to their couches, and beat them.”
The above verse was revealed in connection with a women who complained to Muhammad that her husband slapped her on the face, which was still marked by the slap. At first Muhammad said to her “Get even with him”, but then added 'Wait until I think about it". Later on the above verse was revealed, and Muhammad added, 'We (He and the woman) wanted one thing, Allah wanted another.
MUHAMMAD: in the Hadith also had plenty to say about women:
(all quotes below, unless noted, are from Bukhari, vol. 1)
women are the majority of people in hell - 28 (Sahih Muslim says they are the minority in Paradise - #6600.)
women are ungrateful to their husbands - 28
women are less intelligent than men - #301
women are less spiritual than men - #301
women’s legal testimony is worth half of a man’s - #301
women are an affliction to men - 503
PRAYER
JESUS: taught His disciples to pray simply, and from the heart. God listens to the heart, not the outward form: Matt: 6:5-13
MUHAMMAD: taught formalized prayer ritual: (all quotes are from Bukhari, vol. 1)
488 - passing in front of a praying person annuls his prayer
489 - it’s a sin to pass in front of someone while they’re praying
660 - don’t raise from prayer before the Imam, or God will turn your face into a donkey’s face
685 - if the prayer rows (of men) aren’t straight, God will alter your faces
690 - if the prayer rows aren’t straight, the prayer is not good
717 - if you look up during prayer, you’ll lose your eyesight
759 - if you don’t perform the bowing perfectly, your prayers are not accepted
These men were quite different. Only one could have truly been from God.
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