A Refutation of Dr. Jamal Badawi's Islamic Apologetics Series J (Package 6)

July 2004 version

Islamic Apologetics (Series J)

Islamic Teachings (Jamal A. Badawi)

Package 6 : The Qur'an - The Ultimate Miracle (16 tapes)

Tape #1 Introduction

a) Prophet Mohammed used his own words in the Hadiths "Islamic sayings do not have to be verbatim"

b) Universal brotherhood of Muslims

c) Mohammed [allegedly] could not read or write

d) The angel Gabriel came to Mohammed and told him to prophesy.

e) Gabriel brought the Qur'an to Mohammed word-for-word

f) Allegedly only three possibilities for the Qur'an:

Actually authored by Mohammed

Not the author but he learned the Qur'an from someone else

Mohammed not the author or any human being; it came from Allah only (The Qur'an is a miracle)

a) Muslims generally agree there are some errors in the hadiths, but most Muslims believe the Qur'an is word for word the same as tablets of the Qur'an in Heaven (Sura 85:20-22). Most Muslims believe the Qur'an is from Allah yet eternal and uncreated.

b) Mohammed's earliest followers waged bloody civil wars after his death. For example, 'Aisha's army of 3,000 fought 'Ali at the Battle of the Camel (656 A.D.). 'Ali and Mu'awiya fought at the Battle of Siffin (657 A.D.). After that 'Ali was assassinated by a Muslim, and most Muslims followed Mu'awiya and his corrupt son. Muslims today seem to have forgotten some about brotherhood. In 683 A.D. Abd al-Malik put down a revolt by sacking Mecca. A fire broke out in the Ka'aba and the most sacred black stone cracked. Today Muslim mosques have been subject to gunfire and being burned down in Pakistan and the Sudan. Shi'ite Muslims briefly took over the region around the Ka'aba a decade or so ago.

c) It is unclear if Mohammed was totally illiterate, or if he could not write. He crossed off some words correctly in making a treaty. Also as a trader he probably could read some.

d) This angelic-looking being, called Gabriel, actually basically beat up Mohammed. Mohammed himself thought that he might be demon possessed, and he considered suicide. However, his wife and this being convinced him that Allah was not displeased with him.

e) Even if it were word for word, it has been altered today. Sahih Muslim vol.2 no.2286 p.500,501 gives the text of part of a lost Sura of the Qur'an. Bukhari vol.6:509 also says that when certain people died, parts of the Qur'an known only to them were lost. Caliph 'Uthman had everyone turn in their Qur'ans, and he re-issued a standardized Qur'an. However, Shi'ites and Sunnis today have slightly different Qur'ans.

f) Why does Badawi think these are the only three possibilities for the Qur'an? We cannot ignore Sura 22:52: "Never did We send An apostle or a prophet Before thee, but, when he Framed a desire, Satan Threw some (vanity) Into his desire: but God Will cancel anything (vain) That Satan throws in, And God will confirm (And establish) His Signs;..." Four early historians say a verse in the original Star Sura was inspired by Satan. What is to say Satan inspired much more. A fifth possibility is that it is a combination of Satan, plus what Mohammed heard, plus what Mohammed made up. For example, the Sura that command Zaid to divorce his wife so that Mohammed could marry her could have come from Mohammed.

Tape #2 Impossibility of Mohammed's Authorship

    Mohammed had noble motives He did not claim everything he said was from God Mohammed claimed "Day and night" that the most "abominable" crime or wickedness was to "invent a lie against God" (Sura 6:93) Why would Mohammed lie when lying would cause him and his followers so much trouble? Badawi says that Jesus is 'overpraised' by Christians

    a) Mohammed was indeed "highly respected". Sahih Muslim vol.4:5758 (p.1247) says his body gave off a special coolness or fragrance, as of a scent bag of a perfumer." (Also see The History of al-Tabari vol.6 p.80)

    Bukhari Hadith vol.3:495 says, "When Allah made the prophet wealthy through conquests..." 1/5 of all spoils of war was put into treasury, and Sahih Muslim vol.2 2348 says that Mohammed's family all had a share out of that.

    b) Mohammed claimed what was in the Qur'an was from God, and the hadiths, which record his other actions and teachings, is the foundation of Muslim Law (Sharia) that people live and die by today.

    c) The number of times it is recorded Mohammed said it was a crime to invent a lie against God is probably less than the number of times Mohammed said to make war on Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslims.

    d) Mohammed also said, "...He who makes peace between the people by inventing good information or saying good things, is not a liar." Bukhari vol.3:857 p.533.

    Mohammed would say the original Star Sura in order to make the Meccans think he was not against their idols. He would form an alliance with the Jewish tribes at Medina, and later force the flight of these Jewish tribes (leaving behind their armor and other valuables), and behead 700-1,000 Jewish men from another tribe, keeping the women and children as slaves.

    e) This is a key place where Muslims reject the teaching of Christ Himself. "Jesus cried out, 'When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 12:44-46) Notice that Jesus said "believe in me". By the way this is preserved today in the Bodmer II Papyrii (p66) (dates of c.175 or c.125-150 A.D.) as well as the Bodmer 14/15 Papyrii (p75) with dates of 175-200 A.D., or 175-225 A.D. There are numerous other passages we could also have given as examples, but the point is: Islam refuses to believe Jesus' teaching.

    Tape #3 Religious Illusions? - part 1

    Mohammed "was not a liar or changed facts" Mohammed spent 23 years revealing the Qur'an Nothing in the Qur'an can be proven untrue. Mohammed is a prophet because he gave new information about the Virgin Mary

    a) Mohammed said that even Allah will come in a deceiving shape to deceive the hypocrites among his followers. This is in Sahih Muslim vol.1:349 p.115. If Mohammed believed that his god directly deceived people, why would he not deceive when it appeared helpful.

    b) Actually, The History of al-Tabari vol.6 p.60-61 shows that early Islamic scholars disagreed. It was between 20 and 23 years, though 23 years is likely.

    c) On one hand, Sura 4:82 says, "Do they not ponder on the Qur'an? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely Have found therein Much discrepancy."

    Suras 9:68, 21:51-71; 29:16,17; 37:97,98 say Abraham was delivered from Nimrod's fire. Nimrod lived soon after Noah and long before Abraham. This story appears to be copied from a similar Jewish fable in the Midrash Rabbah.

    How could Haman, the Persian minister in Esther's time (500 B.C.) actually work in Egypt in Moses' time (1450 B.C.) building the Tower of Babel (before 2500 B.C.) as Suras 27:4-6, 28:38, 29:39, 40:23-24,36-37 indicate? This is another "Mohammed and French-Canadians" problem again.

    The same Mary (Mariam in Hebrew and Arabic) was not the mother of Jesus and the sister of Moses (~1450 BC.) as Sura 19:28 says. In the context of the virgin birth of Christ, Sura 19:28 says "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"

    How could somebody mix these up? A Muslim commentator remarks that this was because Mary and her cousin Elisabeth came from a priestly family and were thus sisters of their ancestor Aaron. However, Mary came from Judah, not Aaron, and it was Mary that was addressed here. So if the All-Knowing God did not err here, then who did?

    Sura 18:85-86 states that a ruler called Zul-Qarnain, followed the setting sun and found that it went down into the waters of a muddy spring. Now we know the sun does not go down into a muddy spring.

    Who was the first to believe: Abraham (Sura 6:14) or Moses (Sura 7:143)? If they were Muslims before Mohammed, then either they were Muslims without the Qur'an, or Allah's Qur'an was lost or corrupted.

    d) While Mohammed gave new past alleged facts about Mary, he could have gotten that from apocryphal sources. Of course, if someone gives false prophetic information, they are a false prophet. Mohammed also gave "new" information about the Jews, new here meaning no Jew ever knew this before. Mohammed said that the Jews worshipped 'Uzair (Ezra) in Sura 9:30, Sahih Muslim vol.1:352 p.117, Bukhari vol.9:532 p.395; vol.6:105 p.86.

    Tape #4 Religions Illusions? part 2

    Many people believe in Mohammed "with tears" There is no way Mohammed could come up with something that could affect the lives of 100's of millions of people throughout time. How could Mohammed learn from others if he is surrounded by others all the time?

    a) We hear of people believing only from Mohammed's biographers (both historians and hadith writers). Four early biographers also said that when Mohammed spoke the Star Sura (Sura 53) at Mecca, pagans as well as Muslims bowed. This is immediately after the Meccans asked Mohammed to worship their gods too, and the original Star Sura said the intercession of Allah's three daughters was to be hoped for.

    Others undoubtedly did "believe with tears" when their brothers and husbands were killed defending against Muslim attacks.

    b) Buddha and Confucius each came up with something that eventually affected 100's of millions of people. Karl Marx came up with something evil that affected millions more. Popularity does not mean it is correct. In fact, the Bible says that in the last days many people will be joined together in a deceiving false religion called "Babylon".

    c) According to 'Aisha, Mohammed's wife Khadijah took Mohammed to a Christian who used to read the gospels to him in Arabic. (Bukhari vol.4:605; Sahih Muslim vol.1:301 p.98)

    The History of al-Tabari vol.7 p.167 relates that al-Waqidi says that Mohammed "commanded Zayd [bin] Thabit to study the Book of the Jews, saying 'I fear that they may change my Book.'"

    "Narrated Anas: There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-'Imran, and he used to write (the revelations) for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: 'Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him.' Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him,..." Bukhari vol.4:814 p.523.

    Tape #5 Borrowing from the Bible - parts 1 and 2

    Maybe some parts of the Bible remain intact, but the Qur'an is pure." If there are similarities between the Bible and the Qur'an, it is because they came from the same God. Muslims believe in Moses, David, and Jesus in the original form, not current material recorded in the modern day Bibles. The Bible is not reliable and there are other sources such as the Gospel of Barnabas Badawi does not like Genesis 1:26 "image of God" Badawi does not like any Bible passage that makes God look man-like (no theophanies) He does not like prophets as sinners. Aaron, Solomon, Abraham did not do bad things like the Bible says.

    a) We can agree with Muslims that either our Bible or the Qur'an is a corruption of the word of God, but ask them how they can tell which one? Sura 5:46-48 says that Jesus was taught the gospel and the Torah. We have many copies of the books of the Torah from Jesus' time among the Dead Sea Scrolls. They deny many things in the Qur'an, so why not reject the Qur'an and read the Bible? Alleged contradictions of the Bible are answered at www.BibleQuery.org (among other places), but there are genuine contradictions in the Qur'an, such as the sun setting in a muddy spring.

    b) By the way, Malaysian Muslims deny that the God of the Qur'an and Bible are the same. Jews and Christians call God a Father, and Islam denies that God is a father. Islam denies that Jesus is God the Son, and Islam denies the Holy Spirit is God. Which part of the Trinity is in common with Islam?

    Mohammed said to fight against worshippers of God who are Jews and Christians. If Muslims themselves really believed they worshipped the same God, they can prove it by stopping their closing of churches and killing Christians.

    c) The oldest records we have of Moses and David are scriptures in the Dead Sea scrolls. Since Islam denies those, Muslims have no support for this claim.

    d) I am surprised that Dr. Badawi would recommend the Gospel of Barnabas. It says that Mohammed, not Jesus was the Messiah, while The Qur'an says that Jesus was the Messiah. The Gospel of Barnabas is in Italian, not Greek, betrays a Medieval time, even quoting from Dante, and has gross errors such as "sailing to Jerusalem." Muslims from Spain wrote other forgeries, and Dr. Badawi apparently would prefer a proved forgery to the Dead Sea Scrolls and early New Testament manuscripts.

    e) We are in the image of God not in physical appearance, but we are finite beings with some similarities in character to the infinite God.

    f) Again, Dr. Badawi denies what is written in the Dead Sea scrolls from the time of Christ.

    We have the Torah that Jesus read, and since the Qur'an claims Allah gave Jesus the Torah and the Gospels (Sura 5:45-48), Islam is wrong.

    g) Adam fell to Satan's temptations

    Sura 20:120-121 "But Satan whispered evil to him: he said, 'O Adam1'" "In the result, they both ate of the tree... thus did Adam disobey."

    Sura 2:26 (Adam was not forgetful but forsook the path.)

    "That it is truth from their Lord; But those who reject faith say: 'What means God by this similitude?' By it He causes many to stray, And many He leads into the right path) but He causes not to stray, except those who forsake the path."

    Sura 7:19-23 "Adam! ... approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression.' "So by deceit he [Satan] brought about their fall ... their shame became manifest... We have wronged our own souls..." (See also Bukhari vol.6:3 "...Adam will remember his sin."

    Noah sinned and was corrected

    Sura 11:45-57 "Noah called upon his Lord, and said: 'O my Lord! Surely my son is of my family!" ... He said: "O Noah! He is not of they family: for his conduct is unrighteous, so ask not of Me..." Noah said: "O my Lord! I do seek refuge with Thee, lest I ask Three for that of which I have no knowledge, and unless thou forgive me and have mercy on me, I should indeed be lost!"

    Moses sinned by killing the Egyptian and then asked God's forgiveness

    Sura 28:15-16: "Moses struck him with his fist and made an end of him. He said, 'This is a work of evil (Satan)...' He prayed: 'O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul! Do thou then forgive me?' So (God) forgave him..."

    Jonah (Zunun) admitted he sinned and was worthy of blame

    Sura 21:87: "And remember Zunun when he departed in wrath ... he cried through the depths of darkness." There is no God but Thou: Glory to Three: I was indeed wrong!"

    Sura 37:142 "Then the big fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame.

    Abraham admits that he has faults that need forgiveness by God

    Sura 26:82: [Abraham is speaking] "And who I hope, will forgive me my faults on the day of judgment?"

    Mohammed was a sinner and asked forgiveness from God

    Sura 48:1-2 "Lo! We have given thee, (O Mohammed) signal victory, that Allah may forgive thee of thy sin, that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect his favor unto thee, and guide thee on a right path." (The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, Marmaduke Pickthall translation, New American Library, NY, N.D.).

    Sura 40:55 "Patiently, then, persevere: For the promise of God is true: and ask forgiveness for thy fault..."

    Mohammed prayed for Allah to forgive his past and future sins. Bukhari vol.8:407 p.269.

    Bukhari vol.9:532 (p.400) says that Jesus in heaven said Mohammed's past and future sins were forgiven by Allah.

    Interlude The Unique Sinlessness of Jesus

    A. Yusuf Ali in his Translation and Commentary, The Holy Qur'an 1997 edition, stats on pages 1277 footnote 4428 "Every mortal according to his nature and degree of spiritual enlightenment falls short of the perfect standard of God (Sura 16:61) and should therefore ask God for forgiveness." See Sura 18:110 which says Mohammed was just a mortal man: "I am but a man like yourselves..."

    a) The Hadiths show Mohammed to be a sinful man

    >Bukhari vol.1:19 "O Allah's Apostle! We are not like you. Allah has forgiven your past and future sins."

    >Bukhari vol.1:711 "...O Allah! Set me apart from my sins (faults) ... clean me from sins ... wash off my sins."

    >Bukhari vol.1:781 "... O Allah! Forgive men."

    >Bukhari vol.8:319 "Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "By Allah! I ask for Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day."

    >Bukhari vol.8:407 "Forgive my sins ... Forgive my mistakes, those done intentionally or out of ignorance or with seriousness. Forgive my sins of the past and of the future which I did openly or secretly."

    See also Musa Ash'ari, p.809 (Mohammed a sinner) and p.768 (every son of Adam is a sinner.)

    b) No Arabic wordplay

    To say "forgiveness" means "protection" simply does not work in the context of the Qur'an or the hadiths. Sura 40:7 refutes this contention because the Arabic sues both words "forgiveness" and "protection" in differing roles and meanings. The Arabic language itself does not allow for this interpretation of "protection". How do you ask for protection from sins committed in the past! Sura 48:2?

    c) The Bible says Jesus is Sinless

    Hebrews 4:15 "For we have not a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."

    John 8:46 "Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

    Jesus is sinless according to both Christianity and Islam (Sura 3:45; Sahih Muslim vol.4:5837 (p.1261), Bukhari vol.4:641 p.426, and Bukhari vol.4:506 (p.324).

    Jesus had to be more than a mere man to be sinless and faultless as the Qur'an, hadiths, and the Bible make clear.

    Only God in the flesh could go through life and not commit a single sin. John 1:1,14 says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us."

    Philippians 2:5-11 clearly says: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (all NKJV)

    d) Jesus was blameless, pure, holy, or faultless according to the Arabic Qur'an.

    d1) Sura 19:19 "He said, "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son." (Yusuf Ali translation)

    d2) The word here for "holy" is used in only one other place in the Qur'an and that is in Sura 18:74 where Moses says "Hast thou slain an innocent person ..." I context the word for innocent means "blameless" or "not committed a crime." Likewise the meaning is the same of Jesus in Sura 19:19.

    d3) Sahih al-Bukhari vol.4:506: "Narrated Abu Huraira: The prophet said, "When any human being is born Satan touches him at both sides of the body with his two fingers, except Jesus, the son of Mary, whom Satan tried to touch but failed, for he touched the placenta instead."

    d4) Sahih al-Bukhari vol.4:641 "...I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'There is none born among the off-spring of Adam, but Satan touches it. A child therefore, cries loudly at the time of birth because of the touch of Satan, except Mary and her child..."

    d5) In early Muslim writings Jesus was held up as the "sinless prophet of Islam" before Muslim theologians realized the implications of this.

    d6) The Bible makes it clear who Jesus is:

    d6.1) 1 Peter 2:22: "(Of Christ Jesus) Who committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth."

    d6.2) 1 John 3:5 "And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin."

    d6.3) 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (NKJV)

    e) If Islam is true, why must it fabricate a doctrine of the sinlessness of the prophets which denies the clear teachings of both the Qur'an and the Bible? Truth does not need help to sustain it by lies, falsehoods, and fabrications.

    Jesus said that He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) because Jesus is greater than all other prophets, living or dead.

    Afterlife

    Sura 9:72 "God hath promised to Believers, Men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of everlasting bliss, but the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of God: that is the supreme felicity."

    Sura 56:10-14: "And those foremost (in faith) will be foremost (in the hereafter). These will be those nearest to God: In gardens of bliss: A number of people from those of old, and a few from those of later times."

    Sura 44:52-54: "Among gardens and springs; dressed in fine silk and in rich brocade, they will face each other; so; and we shall join them to companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes."

    Sura 55:56-58,72-74: "In them will be (maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched; then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny? - Like unto rubies and coral, ..." "Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions, - then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?"

    Sura 56:17-18: "Round about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness), with goblets, (shining) beakers, and cups (Filled) out of clear-flowing fountains."

    Heavenly Wine

    Sura 47:15 (p.1382 Abdullah Yusuf Ali) "...rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink..."

    (See also Sura 76:21 and Sura 83:25).

    The Islamic Paradise is Alien to the Biblical Paradise

    Revelation 22:1-5 "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever." (NKJV)

    1 Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (NKJV) (See also Isaiah 64:4)

    1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (NKJV)

    Islamic Paradise is a Sensual Counterfeit

    Jesus did not need beautiful women around him as John 17 and Revelation, etc. clearly show, and Jesus says no sex in the afterlife - see Matthew 22:29-33.

    End of Interlude

    Tape #6 Borrowing from the Bible - Parts 3 and 4

    The Qur'an could never be based on the Bible. Badawi says the Biblical God is a "tribal god with human failings." - No serpent in Eden, ram instead of Ishmael He believes in a superiority of works righteousness versus a blood atonement (such as Christ's sacrifice) No animal sacrifices in the Qur'an (except in the Muslim tradition of Abraham and Ishmael commemorating the ram sacrifice) No intercessors are necessary Afterlife is portrayed differently in the Qur'an than in the Bible. Badawi does not like the Bible saying Isaac was Abraham's "only son" (ref. Sura 37) Many big historical facts are different between the Bible and Qur'an. (Mary and the palm tree, Jesus - clay birds, etc.)

    a) One could see Badawi's point here, since the fundamental message of the two are so different. On lesser points there is a commonality of names and some histories. According to 'Aisha, Mohammed's wife Khadijah took Mohammed to a Christian who used to read the gospels to him in Arabic. (Bukhari vol.4:605; Sahih Muslim vol.1:301 p.98)

    "Narrated Anas: There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-'Imran, and he used to write (the revelations) for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: 'Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him.' Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him,..." Bukhari vol.4:814 p.523.

    b) Regardless of what negative things Badawi wishes to say about the Bible, copies of the Torah from the time of Jesus are the same as what are in our Bibles today. Since the Qur'an says in Sura 5:46-48 that Jesus was taught the Torah and the gospel, the Qur'an must be wrong.

    While Badawi cannot believe there was a serpent in the Garden of Eden either; it was really Satan disguised as a serpent.

    It is hard to see what problem Badawi has with Abraham's sacrifice unless he was just reading A. Yusuf Ali's footnote in his translation of the Qur'an p.1357. Sura 37:102-105 Abraham was to sacrifice an unnamed son (not necessarily Ishmael). This was done with the unnamed son's consent, and only after Abraham had his son prostrate on his forehead did God provided an unnamed alternate sacrifice.

    A. Yusuf Ali's footnote says that in the Biblical version Isaac's consent is not taken. Actually in Genesis 22 Isaac initially did not know what was going on, but consent might have been implied when an aged man had a son old enough to carry all the wood (Genesis 22:6).

    Isaac [not Ishmael] was seven when he was almost sacrificed according to al-Tabari vol.2 p.68.

    The renowned early Muslim historian Tabari has an extensive study of the Muslim authorities who say Isaac was almost sacrificed and those who say Ishmael. After investigating the matter, this Muslim scholar concludes it was really Isaac who was almost sacrificed. See al-Tabari vol.2 p.82-92 for the ten-page discussion.

    c) If animal sacrifices were not of God, what was Abraham doing with the ram? Why did Moses have the Jews sacrifice for 1,400 years? Can you imagine a Muslim believing Mohammed's original message was totally opposite of what Bukhari preserved 200 years later? Now can you imagine a Christian believing Jesus' original message was totally opposite of church writings 65 years later (1 Clement, etc.)?

    d) God had the Jews sacrifice for 1,400 years. It is documented in early Christian writings, the Dead Sea scrolls, and even Roman writings.

    Prior to the Jews, Abraham had animal sacrifices.

    Yet Badawi and Muslims reject 99% of God's proven message here because they "feel" their way is superior. They do not reject 100%, because Muslims still have an animal sacrifice commemorating Abraham and Isaac.

    e) No intercessors are necessary or were necessary?

    Jews had priests offering sacrifices as intercessors for 1,400 years.

    Christians have Christ, who offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice, as our intercessor.

    Muslims must either say God allowed these corruptions for over 2,000 years, or else intercessors were needed but Mohammed abrogated this. If blood sacrifices were a corruption, then what about Abraham's sacrifice of a ram?

    f) How afterlife is viewed

    Islamic Heaven

    Biblical Heaven

    Sura 9:72 "God hath promised to believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of everlasting bliss, but the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of God: that is the supreme felicity."

    Revelation 22:1-5 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever."

    Sura 56:10-14: "And those foremost (in faith) will be foremost (in the hereafter). These will be those nearest to God: In the Gardens of Bliss: a number of people from those of old, and a few from those of later times."

    1 Corinthians 2:9 (cf Isaiah 64:4) "However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'"

    Sura 44:52-54 "Among gardens and springs, dressed in fine silk and in rich brocade, they will face each other; so; and we shall join/wed them to companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes."

    1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."

    Sura 55:56-58,72-74: "In them will be (maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched; then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny? - like unto rubies and coral,..." "Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions, - then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?"

    Jesus did not need beautiful women around him as John 17 and Revelation, etc. clearly show and Jesus clearly says no marriage relations in the afterlife in Matthew 22:29-33.

    Wine in heaven: Sura 47:15 (A. Yusuf Ali) ",,,rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink..." (See also Sura 76:32 and Sura 83:25)

    Sura 56:17-18: "Round about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness), with goblets, (shining) beakers, and cups (filled) out of clear-flowing fountains."

    No drinking bashes in heaven but...

    Psalms 2:6b-7 "Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound."

     

    g) Sura 37 refers to an unnamed son. Isaac was not only the only son of promise, but he was Abraham's only son he had because Ishmael had already been disinherited and sent away in Genesis 21:8-21.

    h) Some are the same. For example, Abraham was a historic individual in both. Noah, who built an ark (Sura 7:59-64), lived 950 years in both Sura 29:14 and Genesis 9:29.

    For most of the stories the Bible and Qur'an have in common, the Bible provides more detail. Unlike the Bible, the Qur'an says that Jesus spoke as a baby, made clay birds come to life, etc. Of course all "historical facts" are not necessarily true.

    Tape #7 Reservations / Comparisons - the Qur'an and modern Science - parts 1 & 2

    Badawi makes a big deal about Mohammed being an "unlettered man" and therefore he simply could not have made up all of this stuff in the Qur'an. He cites a book by Muslim apologist Maurice Baucille entitled, The Bible, Qur'an, and Science to show the Qur'an is scientifically correct and the Bible is not. Badawi states that scientifically Noah's flood could not have been universal like the Bible says, but the flood was only a local flood that only destroyed the people of Noah like the Qur'an says.

    a) According to 'Aisha, Mohammed's wife Khadijah took Mohammed to a Christian who used to read the gospels to him in Arabic. (Bukhari vol.4:605; Sahih Muslim vol.1:301 p.98)

    "Narrated Anas: There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-'Imran, and he used to write (the revelations) for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: 'Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him.' Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him,..." Bukhari vol.4:814 p.523.

    "Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, 'If a house fly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease." Bukhari v.4 no.537 p.338.

    "If a fly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure (antidote for the disease)(1). Footnote (1) says "See Hadith no.673 v.7th (for details)" Bukhari v.4 ch.15 before no.531 p.335.

    "Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, 'If a fly falls in the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it (into the vessel) and then throw it away, for in one of its wings there is a disease and in the other there is healing (1) (antidote for it) i.e. the treatment for that disease." Bukhari v.7 no.673 p.452-453.

     

    Tape #8 The Qur'an and Modern Science - Parts 3 and 4

    Badawi claims the earth is billions of years old based on the speed of light and distance from the stars. Badawi says the galaxies are "gas originating" and this is explained by the Qur'an in Sura 41, which refers to the heavens as "smoke" and in Sura 21:30 where it says the heavens and the earth were all joined together and the Allah split them or "diffused them".

    Tape #9 The Qur'an and Modern Science - parts 5 and 6

    Sura 39:21, 7:57, etc. makes obvious statements about rain, clouds, water, and wind. "Bee dance" mentioned in Sura 16:68-69 and the Qur'an talks about shadows. Badawi says all these things prove that the Qur'an was not authored from another source.

    Tape #10 The Qur'an and Modern Science - parts 7 and 8

    Human reproduction is mentioned in Sura 86:6-7

    Tape #11 The Qur'an and Modern Science - parts 9 and 10

    More sex education from Badawi quoting Suras Badawi says there are errors in the translation of the Qur'an, including A. Yusuf Ali's translation, which distorts some of the texts he wishes to use to support his arguments.

    Tape #12 Linguistic Miracle of the Qur'an - Perpetual Challenge - side 2

    The Qur'an is not like any other book that preceded it The Qur'an is so eloquent. The Qur'an is written "in the beauty of the Arabic." (Sura 20:113) The "magic" of the Qur'an. The perpetual challenge - to make up ten Suras or just one Sura. Badawi says it cannot be done. Badawi does not mention the hadiths here.

    a) Neither is the Bible, but for that matter, neither is Shakespeare or the Divan of Hafez. While difference does not prove divine inspiration, we cannot establish whether or not the Qur'an is just books of pre-Islamic poetry that were destroyed.

    b) Some parts are grammatically incorrect, such as Sura 49:9, where the Iranian scholar Ali Dashti shows that the verb "have started to fight" should not be in the plural form but the dual, since the subject is "two parties". He also says, "The Quran contains sentences which are incomplete and not fully intelligible without the aid of commentaries: foreign words, unfamiliar Arabic words, and words used with other than the normal meaning; adjectives and verbs inflected without observance of the concord [agreement] of gender and number; illogical and ungrammatically applied pronouns which sometimes have no reference; and predicates which in rhymed passages are often remote from the subjects." (Ali Dashti, Twenty Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammed.

    c) "Islamic scholar C.G. Pfander points out that 'It is by no means the universal opinion of unprejudiced Arabic scholars that the literary style of the Qur'an is superior to that of all other books in the Arabic language.' For example, 'some doubt whether in eloquence and poetry it surpasses the Mu'allaqat, or the Magamat or Hariri, though in Muslim lands few people are courageous enough to express such an opinion." C.G. Pfander. The Balance of Truth. Revised and enlarged by W. St. Clair Tisdall p.264. (as quoted from Answering Islam by Geisler and Saleeb.)

    d) While there might have been magic involved with Mohammed, that would disprove, not prove the Qur'an was from God. "Narrated 'Aisha: Magic was worked on the Prophet so that he began to fancy that he was doing a thing which he was not actually doing. One day he invoked (Allah) for a long period and then said, 'I feel that Allah has inspired me as how to cure myself.'..." Bukhari v.4 no.490 p.317. See also vol.4:400 p.267, vol.8:89 p.56-57, vol.8:400 p.266-267. vol.7:658-660 p.441-443.

    e) Is it possible to create ten suras that are more beautiful or eloquent than a sura in the Qur'an? Let's see. Here is a short sura in the Qur'an, Sura 109 in A. Yusuf Ali's translation.

    "Say: O yet That reject Faith! I worship not that Which ye worship, Nor will ye worship That which I worship. And I will not worship That which ye have been Wont to worship Nor will ye worship That which I worship. To you be your Way, And to me mine."

    Now the meaning here is that since Muslims and unbelievers do not worship what the other worship, and do not worship what the other wants to worship, let each have its own way. This by the way contradicts Suras which say to make war on unbelievers. If a Muslim says that the meaning is different, because it is in a particular context, then the Sura is deficient in giving no hint of a special context. Anyway, let's see if we can top that. As to whether there can be a Sura like it, or better, let's look at four examples: from Jesus, Paul, Mohammed, and even Satan. All either surpass this sura, or were at one time thought to be suras in the Qur'an.

    e1) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35 NIV)

    e2) "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth." (1 Corinthians 13:4-6 NIV)

    e3) Abu Harb b. Abu al-Aswad reported on the authority of his father that Abu Musa al-Ash'ari said: "...We used to recite a Sura which resembled in length and severity to (Sura) Bara'at. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which I remember out of it: 'If there were two valleys full of riches for the son of Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of the son of Adam but dust.'. (Sahih Muslim, vol.2 no.2286 p.500,501)

    Here is one "sura" apparently composed by Mohammed/Allah, that is a "non-Quranic" sura today.

    e4) The original version of Sura 53:19-20, which was said to have been originated by Satan according to at least four early biographers of Mohammed.

    "Have ye seen Lat, and 'Uzza, And another, the third (goddess), Manat? These are the exalted cranes (intermediaries) Whose intercession is to be hoped for."

    Tape #13 The Linguistic Miracle of the Qur'an - Parts 1 and 2 - Beyond Human Capacity

    Badawi repeats his challenges for anyone to duplicate the "style" and "beauty" of the Qur'an. Badawi says the Qur'an has a "feeling" that you just cannot mix with man's works. Badawi admits that there is a big difference between "style", "beauty", "eloquence", and sayings in the Hadiths with that of the Qur'an. The uniqueness of the Qur'an is such as Sura 2:183 and the laws against murder, such as the fact that if the family of the murdered party forgives the murderer, the murderer can be exempt from capital punishment. In some cases forgiveness can be obtained by financial compensation, etc. Badawi says this is unique and is found only in Islamic law. People find "new meanings" to the same old texts of the Qur'an - this is unique, Badawi says. "The Qur'an cannot be improved upon." The prose, rhymes, poetry, literature, of the Qur'an "cannot be matched." Badawi compliments Muslim apologist Ahmad Deedat.

    a) What about the verses cancelled out of the Qur'an? For example, "We used to read a verse of the Qur'an revealed in their connection, but later the verse was cancelled. It was 'convey to our people on our behalf the information that we have met our Lord, and He is pleased with us, and has made us pleased.'" Bukhari vol.5:416 p.288. See also the History of al-Tabari vol.7 p.156.

    b) Badawi's claim of telling by "feelings" sounds similar to Mormon claims of "feelings" about the Book of Mormon. Mormonism, by the way, says that God has sexual relations with his wives. Admittedly, the Qur'an has a very different feel from all scripture Muslims claim before it.

    c) Of course there is a style difference: the hadith is not in poetry and the Qur'an is. However, the Hadiths plus the Qur'an are the basis for Sharia, Sunni Muslim law, and regardless of the differences in style and eloquence Badawi recognizes, people live and die based on sayings in the hadiths, so it is a moot point.

    d) Yes this is unique, contradicting the Law of Moses. In Islamic law, if a murderer has enough money to pay the victim's family, rich murderers can go free.

    e) Sufis and 'Alawites for example, find radically new meanings in the Qur'an all the time. While this proves Badawi's point, these meanings probably are not what Badawi had in mind. Rather I find it interesting how modern (anti-Sharia) Muslims find all kinds of verses in the Qur'an that are abrogated. Yet conservative Muslims seemed to have never got the message as to which in century these were abrogated.

    f) Which Qur'an? The Qur'an today can be improved on:

    Factually: There are a number of factual errors. For example, Sura 17:1 says that Allah took Mohammed one night to the mosque in Jerusalem (Masjid al-Aqsa) on spectacular journey. There was no mosque in Jerusalem in Mohammed's lifetime. There was no Jewish temple there either.

    Morally: Many see moral deficiency in Sura 9:29: "Fight those who believe not... even if they be People of the book [Christians and Jews] until they have willingly agreed to pay the Jizya tribute in recognition of their submissive state."

    Regardless, the original Qur'an in Mohammed's time was improved upon, with various verses and Suras abrogated.

    If one says, "Mohammed wrote it, so Mohammed had the right to change it", that would mean it was not from Allah."

    After Mohammed died, it was standardized by 'Uthman, and an earlier version of 'Ubai's Qur'an with two fewer suras was suppressed.

    h) Badawi compliments Ahmad Deedat. Apparently King Faisal of Saudi Arabia also recognized Deedat. However, an Islamic article says that Deedat being acclaimed as a hero and defender of the faith is the opposite of what others see. Here are some of the reasons.

    h1. Deedat acknowledges learning much of what he knows of Islam by Joseph Perdu, who is a Ba'hai.

    h2. Deedat calls Rashad Khalifa a great 'servant of Islam' for using numerology of the number 19 to "expose" the last two verses of Sura 9 in today's Qur'an as false.

    h3. Rashad Khalifa apparently calls those who believe in the Hadith along with the Qur'an are "false Muslims" and "idol worshippers".

    h4. While most Muslims believe Jesus was not on the cross, Deedat believes that Jesus was on the cross but did not die, He only fainted.

    It should be emphasized that we did not hear Deedat say these things first hand. Rather this is what is said on the(now defunct) Muslim web page http: //media.isnet.org/antar/etc/DeedatBalance.html (8/31/2001). (This became defunct around August 11, 2003)

    Tape #14 The Linguistic Miracle of the Qur'an - Parts 3 and 4 specific examples

    In Suras 3 and 5 the Qur'an says people reject the truth because of their parents. The Qur'an uses rhymes. Badawi admits that the Qur'an is redundant in some places - for example, Suras 6:151 and 17:31, verses are virtually the same but the words are reversed or altered ("killing children"). In Islamic paradise, Badawi says, "No effort, everything comes to you." Badawi says that the Qur'an is here today exactly as Mohammed and the angel Gabriel directed it. Sura 2 (the Cow) is the longest Sura with 286 verses and took 9 years to reveal dealing with over 80 different circumstances, revealed in small parts at a time. The Qur'an is distinctive from prophetic sayings of the prophet in the hadiths. Badawi admits that there is no rigid chronological order to the Qur'an. Badawi dismisses Qur'anic compiler's mistakes but offers no refutation of these problems which are mentioned in the hadiths.

    a) This is true. One brave man who, in obedience to God, left his father's religion and even home was Abraham, the friend of God. We are asking Muslims to submit to God and do the same.

    b) Pre-Islamic Arab poets used rhymes too, some of their poetry was lewd and idolatrous. Since then many poets have used rhymes. Frankly though, I am baffled why Dr. Badawi feels then need to include rhymes as evidence of a miracle. Perhaps the evidence is too skimpy otherwise.

    c) Some Muslims like to say the Gospels cannot be true because there are four of them, not just one. But as a biography told from four different views does not prove falsehood, we can agree with Dr. Badawi that redundancy plus some variation in the Qur'an is not proof it is not from God either.

    d) Muslim paradise has free-flowing alcohol, 72 virgins per martyr (that does not really appeal to Muslim women), and is basically a sensual place. Who can blame the corrupt 'Abbasid caliphs (one of whom drowned in a swimming pool of alcohol). Apparently all they wanted to do was simply enjoy Muslim paradise a little bit early?

    e) "Then Allah revealed to us a verse that was among the cancelled ones later on." Bukhari v.5 no.416 p.288.

    "Narrated Anas bin Malik: ... There was revealed about those who were killed at Bi'r-Ma'una a Qur'anic Verse we used to recite, but it was cancelled later on. The verse was: 'Inform our people that we have met our Lord. he is pleased with us and He has made us pleased.'" Bukhari v.4 no.69 p.53. See also the History of al-Tabari vol.7 p.156.

    Other references to cancelled verses are: Bukhari v.4 no.57 p.45, Bukhari v.4 no.299 p.191, Bukhari v.5 no.416 p.288, and Bukhari v.5 no.421 p.293 all repeat the same thing about the same verse.

    This term has been used for some time to describe two verses of Mohammed that were "abrogated" or taken out.

    In pre-Islamic Arabia, Allah was a god with three daughters, al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat.

    Sura 53:19-20 "Have ye thought upon al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat, the third, the other?"

    -originally followed by

    "These are the exalted cranes (intermediaries) Whose intercession is to be hoped for."

    vs.

    "Are yours the males and His the females? That indeed were an unfair division."

    At one time Mohammed compromised and said concerning the daughters of Allah in Sura 53:19 that "their intercession was to be hoped for." In other words, Mohammed said we should hope for the help of these three idols. Mohammed's followers were amazed that he said this. Mohammed later changed and said Satan had deceived him. These verses were abrogated or taken out.

    It is interesting to read how Allah could have what are called "abrogated verses" in Suras 13:39; 16:101; 2:106.

    Four different early Muslim biographers of Mohammed wrote about the Satanic verses:

    1. Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (died 923 A.D.) was one of Islam's foremost scholars. He wrote a Commentary on the Qur'an as well as a 39-volume work on the history of Islam.

    2. Al-Wahidi/Wakidi (died 823 A.D.) wrote Asbab al-Nozul. He wrote 15-volumes.

    3. Ibn Sa'd/Sa'ad (died 845 A.D.), who was aware of al-Wahidi's work.

    4. Ibn Isaq/Ishaq (767 or 773 A.D.), wrote Sirat Rasulallah (The Life of Allah's Prophet).

    We also have the following inferences from the Qur'an and Bukhari Hadiths:

    The temptations of Satan's interjections - Sura 53:19-26; 17:73-75

    Bukhari (died 870 A.D.) v.6 no.385 - pagans as well as Muslims bowed.

    For more info on this issue see the paper on The Daughters of Allah, www.answering-islam.org/Qur'an/miracle/satanicverses.htm and www.answering-islam.org/Responses/ Saifullah/sverses.htm.

    f) So the Cow Sura being revealed piecemeal would indicate piecemeal creation rather than a unified whole.

    g) Badawi is wise to say this, since many hadiths contradict the Qur'an. The Qur'an says that Mohammed did no miracles (except reciting the Qur'an), while the hadiths give many miracles, including splitting the moon in two, and healing the broken leg of one of his assassins.

    h) Not only is there no chronological order of the Suras, but within some suras different parts might have been given at different times. Was the Qur'an Mohammed "incomplete" such that different parts were mixed in the same sura. We can see some differences between what 'Uthman standardized and earlier versions, but we can only see a small portion because 'Uthman tried to cover his tracks by burning the rest of the Qur'ans.

    i) You cannot blame all the mistakes on Qur'anic compilers though, because some parts of the Qur'an were lost according to the hadiths, and some parts of the "immutable" Qur'an were abrogated, even in Mohammed's lifetime.

    Tape #15 Did the Qur'an pre-exist before its Revelation?

    Badawi says the Suras of the Qur'an were revealed piecemeal, not at one time in one place. Badawi says of the 23 years of the revelations of the prophet Mohammed, 13 years of revelations were given in Mecca, and 10 years were given in Medina. Badawi says the "piecemeal" fashion of its year of revelation of the Qur'an proves the Qur'an "pre-existed" Badawi says 82 Suras were given in Mecca and 20 Suras were given in Medina, although Badawi admits that there are 12 Suras where there is disagreement among scholars as to where they came from - either in Mecca or Medina. Badawi believes the "intermixed" suras and verses of the Qur'an proves that it must be from God. Examples:

    1) Badawi says that Sura 5 was given in Medina but Sura 5:3 was given (later) in Mecca.

    2) Badawi says Sura 6 was given in Mecca, but Sura 6:20 was given (earlier) in Medina.

    a) Badawi is correct here. Different Suras were at different times, and parts of one Sura could be at different times, almost as though it was a "refining" process of editing.

    b) Actually, historians note that Mohammed was a prophet for either: 20 years, 23 years, or 25 years, showing less certainty of the facts of Mohammed than Badawi would have us believe. See Tabari's History for more info on this.

    c) For most literature, a piecemeal fashion would tend to indicate its spontaneous creation. For example, how does the revelation for Zaid to divorce his wife (Zainab of Jahsh) so that Mohammed could marry her in any way prove the pre-existence of the Qur'an? (See Sura 33:36-38)

    d) Some Suras had verses within them given at different times. We know the times of some Suras based on ibn Ishaq, Tabari, and other historians. Apparently Badawi understand this too, so there is no disagreement here. However, since 'Uthman standardized the Qur'an and ordered the others burned, how much weight can you give when so much evidence was destroyed?

    Tape #16 Contents of the Qur'an : Manifestation of its Source

    Badawi continues to list a variety of intermixed suras and verses from either Mecca or Medina given during differing time frames. Dr. Badawi refers to A. Yusuf Ali's translation during his commentary. Badawi asks, "How could it fit together?" when referring to intermixed Meccan and Medinan suras and verses and then concludes:

    "It's a Miracle!"(from God - implied). Therefore the Qur'an is a miracle.

    d) Badawi states that the Qur'an must be from God because :

    1) The Qur'an says there is one God who says to be good with submission and love.

    2) The Qur'an is filled with virtue, logic, morals, philosophy, and the proper way to live life.

    3) The Qur'an has changed or transformed more lives than any other book in the history of the world.

    a) We only know the time frame of some Suras. We know that parts of some Suras were given at different times and then mixed together, and some Suras we do not know when those verses came.

    b) A. Yusuf Ali's translation itself in the footnotes mentions other versions of the Qur'an besides the one Sunnis accept today.

    c) The "miracle" of compilation was in 'Uthman's time, not Mohammeds. 'Ubai's version of the Qur'an for example, has two less Suras than the one today.

    d1) The Qur'an says not to be friends with God's worshippers (Jews and Christians). It says to make war on God's worshippers.

    d2) Islamic morals in the Qur'an and hadiths in many ways are much "looser" than Christian morals. For example, sex with captive women a soldier does not marry is permitted (Sura 4:24). Temporary marriage used to be allowed for all, and still is according to Shi'ites and a few Sunnis. Killing dimmis (non-Muslims under the protection of a Muslim state) bears no penalty except that they cannot smell in paradise. Beating your wife (including beating her such as to cause her pain in Sahih Muslim vol.2:2127). They are also stricter than Christian morals, such as beware of the evil eye, Muslim men should not wear yellow or play chess.

    d3) No, Sunni Islam stresses rules, not a transformed life.

    By Number of adherents, there are still more Christians than Muslims. Some Muslims are apparently trying to change this by massacring Christians in Indonesia and Sudan though.

    You cannot count all Muslims. Hypocrites abound in all religions of man. In Islam for example, homosexuality is endemic in the southeast Arabian Peninsula, and drinking wine is done by 'Alawite and even many Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims.

    This is the end of this volume: Package VI

    "Series J. Sources of Islam - The Qur'an, the Ultimate Miracle" by Jamal A. Badawi

    Islamic Information Foundation. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Christian Debater™ P.O. Box 144441 Austin, TX 78714