10 Reasons Islam Is Not From God

Islam: Truth or Myth? start page

10 Reasons Islam Is Not From God

Reason #1: Islam cannot be from God because the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, did not pass God's first test for a prophet. Deuteronomy 18:21-22 tells us that God will authenticate those He sends as a prophet by having them perform signs. Muhammad gave no sign as required by God.

(Deuteronomy 18:21,22, NAS95) 21 "You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' 22 "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

Muslims recognize this and try to overcome the principle of God confirming his revelation with signs by asserting that the revelation of the Qur'an itself is a sign. When Muhammad was challenged by the Jews and Christians to produce a sign, he received a special revelation from Allah.

Qur'an 6:37-39, 36. And they said: "Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?" Say: "Allâh is certainly Able to send down a sign, but most of them know not." 38. There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communitie like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered. 39. Those who reject Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) are deaf and dumb in darkness. Allâh sends astray whom He wills and He guides on the Straight Path whom He wills.

Muslims claim that the Qur'an itself is the sign God gave Muhammad. Notice the difference in the Muslim claims and the evidence put forward by the Hebrew writer in Hebrews 2:3-4,

"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?"

Reason #2: Islam cannot be from God because Muhammad's teaching does not pass the second test God gave for a prophet. Deuteronomy 13:1-4 tells us that no prophet will bring a revelation that is in conflict with previous revelation. His revelation must agree with the previous revelation of God. Deuteronomy 13:1-4

Deuteronomy 13:1-4, 1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

Muhammad's revelation contradicts the previous revelations in both facts and principles. Consider the account of Joseph. In the Qur'an, Qur'an 12, Yusuf Beginning in Ayah 21.

Qur'an 12:21-34, 21. And the Egyptian who bought him said to his wife: Give him an honorable abode, maybe he will be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a son. And thus did We establish Yusuf in the land and that We might teach him the interpretation of sayings; and Allah is the master of His affair, but most people do not know. 22. And when he had attained his maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge: and thus do We reward those who do good. 23. And she in whose house he was sought to make himself yield (to her), and she made fast the doors and said: Come forward. He said: I seek Allah's refuge, surely my Lord made good my abode: Surely the unjust do not prosper. 24. And certainly she made for him, and he would have made for her, were it not that he had seen the manifest evidence of his Lord; thus (it was) that We might turn away from him evil and indecency, surely he was one of Our sincere servants. 25. And they both hastened to the door, and she rent his shirt from behind and they met her husband at the door. She said: What is the punishment of him who intends evil to your wife except imprisonment or a painful chastisement? 26. He said: She sought to make me yield (to her); and a witness of her own family bore witness: If his shirt is rent from front, she speaks the truth and he is one of the liars: 27. And if his shirt is rent from behind, she tells a lie and he is one of the truthful. 28. So when he saw his shirt rent from behind, he said: Surely it is a guile of you women; surely your guile is great: 29. O Yusuf! turn aside from this; and (O my wife)! ask forgiveness for your fault, surely you are one of the wrong-doers. 30. And women in the city said: The chiefs wife seeks her slave to yield himself (to her), surely he has affected her deeply with (his) love; most surely we see her in manifest error. 31. So when she heard of their sly talk she sent for them and prepared for them a repast, and gave each of them a knife, and said (to Yusuf): Come forth to them. So when they saw him, they deemed him great, and cut their hands (in amazement), and said: Remote is Allah (from imperfection); this is not a mortal; this is but a noble angel. 32. She said: This is he with respect to whom you blamed me, and certainly I sought his yielding himself (to me), but he abstained, and if he does not do what I bid him, he shall certainly be imprisoned, and he shall certainly be of those who are in a state of ignominy. 33. He said: My Lord! the prison house is dearer to me than that to which they invite me; and if Thou turn not away their device from me, I will yearn towards them and become (one) of the ignorant. 34. Thereupon his Lord accepted his prayer and turned away their guile from him; surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

Now consider the same account from the Bible in Genesis 39:7-21

(Genesis 39:7-21, KJV) 7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. 12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: 15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out. 16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. 17 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. 19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

Consider the differences in the facts presented about the lives of the Biblical characters. In the Qur'an Potiphar was at the door when Joseph fled. He wasn't at home in the Bible Account. In the Qur'an, Potiphar believed Joseph while in the Bible Potiphar believed his wife. In the Qur'an, Joseph requested that he be put in prison so that he might avoid the temptation of women and in the Bible, he was imprisoned by Potiphar for accosting his wife. Surely it is easy to see the differences. Joseph is just a sample. There are other contradictions in almost every account of the lives of Bible people. In the Qur'an, one of Noah's sons died in the flood while in the Bible, all of them were on the ark. Compare the Biblical account of Lot with the Qur'an's account of Lot (Lut in the Qur'an-NR). In the Qur'an, Abraham's father was an idolater and forced Abraham to leave home for trying to teach monotheism, while the Biblical account has Abraham leaving after his father's death. Now consider just one principle that is set forth in the New Testament with the principles set forth in the Qur'an.

The New Testament, Matthew 5:44, But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; The Qur'an, Qur'an 61, the Ranks, Ayah 4. Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall The Qur'an, Qur'an 2, The Cow, Al Baqarah Ayah 190. And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits. 191. And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.

What a contrast. Jesus says to love, forgive, and pray for your enemies. The Qur'an says to kill them. If that isn't a different doctrine than what was revealed, nothing is.

Reason #3: Islam cannot be from God because it denies the Godhood of Jesus. In the Qur'an, Muhammad takes great pains to deny the deity of Jesus. It demeans Jesus and makes him just a man. In Philippians, Paul asserts that Jesus existed in the form of God.

Qur'an 4:171 "O people of the book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of God naught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of God, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: So believe in God and His messengers..." (Philippians 2:5-9, NAS95) 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

Reason #4: Islam cannot be from God because Muhammad frequently changed his revelations to suit circumstances. The classic example is Muhammad's teaching on drinking. When he was just beginning to teach, before Muhammad gained a significant following he said that it was alright to drink.

Qur'an 2:219 They ask you Concerning wine; gambling, Say "In them is great sin, And some profit for men; But the sin is greater Than the profit.

As his power base grew, he presented a stronger position. It was not acceptable to have had any intoxicants close enough to prayers to fog the mind.

Qur'an 4:43 O you who believe! Approach not prayer With a mind befogged, Until you can understand All that you say.

When his position was strongly established, he forbade the use of intoxicants entirely.

Qur'an 5:93 O you who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (Dedication) of stones, And (divination by) arrows, Are an abomination, - Of Satan' handiwork: Eschew such (abomination) That you may prosper. 94. Satan's plan is (but) To excite enmity and hatred Between you, with intoxicants And gambling, and hinder you From the remembrance Of Allah, and from prayer: Will you not then abstain?

His final revelation calls the use of intoxicants "Satan's handiwork." This puts him in the awkward position of having had Allah approve of "Satan's Handiwork' when he said that there was "some profit for men" in the use of intoxicants. Does God vacillate on sin?

Reason #5: Islam cannot be from God because its appeal is to man's lower nature rather than his higher nature. Compare the Biblical appeal of heaven to the Quranic appeal of heaven.

The Biblical Appeal

Matthew 5:10-12, 10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Peter 1:3-4, 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Mark 12:24-25, 24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Revelation 7:9-17, 9. After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

The Qur'an makes a large portion of its appeal to the fleshly appetites and sensibilities of man.

Qur'an 37: 40. But the sincere (and devoted) Servants of Allah, 41. For them is a Sustenance Determined, 42. Fruits (Delights) and they (Shall enjoy) honor and dignity, 43. In Gardens of Felicity, 44. Facing each other On Thrones (of dignity): 45. Round will be passed To them a Cup From a clear flowing fountain, 46. Crystal white, of a taste Delicious to those Who drink (thereof), 47. Free from headiness; Nor will they suffer Intoxication there from. 48. And beside them will be Chaste women, restraining Their glances, with big eyes (Of wonder and beauty) 49. As if they were (Delicate) eggs closely guarded. Qur'an 4:57. But those who believe And do deeds of righteousness, We shall soon admit to Gardens, With rivers flowing beneath, - Their eternal home; Therein shall they have Companions [wives, NR] pure and holy; We shall admit them To shades, cool and ever deepening. Qur'an 44:51. As to the Righteous (They will be) in A position of Security, 52. Among Gardens and Springs; 53. Dressed in fine silk And in rich brocade, They will face each other; 54. So; and We shall Join them to Companions With beautiful big And lustrous eyes. 55. There can they call For every kind of fruit In peace and security; 56. Nor will they there Taste Death, except the first Death: and He will preserve Them from the Penalty Of the Blazing Fire.

Which makes its appeal to the higher nature of man? The Bible does. Which is more likely to be from God - that which appeals to man's higher nature, or that which appeals to his baser nature? The Bible is more likely to be from God than the Qur'an because its appeal is to man's higher nature, while the appeal of the Qur'an is to man's lower nature.

Reason #6: Islam cannot be from God because its morality is inferior to the morality taught by the New Testament. In examining the contradictions between the Bible and the Qur'an, we encountered Jesus' teaching that we were to love and pray for our enemies while the Qur'an says to fight and kill your enemies. There is a tremendous gap in the standard of morality between the two standards. Which is more likely to be from God, the high standard of morality, or the low standard of morality?

Reason #7: Islam cannot be from God because it is based upon a document, the Qur'an, made after God said revelation was finished.

Paul said that revelation would come to an end: 1 Corinthians 13:8, Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. Jude 3 tells us that the faith was fully delivered: Jude 3, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Peter said that every thing that was necessary for man to be pleasing to God had been revealed.

2 Peter 1:3, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Reason #8: Islam cannot be from God because it is based upon the Qur'an which has internal contradictions. Any revelation from God will be consistent within itself. It will not contain internal contradictions. Since the Qur'an does contain internal contradictions, it cannot be from God, and any religion that is based upon it is not from God.

The Qur'an says that man was created from a clot of blood.

Qur'an 96:1. Proclaim (or Read) In the Name Of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- 2. Created man out of A (mere) clot Of congealed blood;

The Qur'an says that man was created from was created from clay.

Qur'an 6:2 (Also 7:12) 2. He it is Who created You from clay, and then Decreed a stated term (For you). And there is In His Presence another Determined term; yet Ye doubt within yourselves!

The Qur'an says that man was created from was created from water.

Qur'an 25:54. It is He Who has Created man from water: Then has He established Relationships of lineage And marriage: for thy Lord Has power (over all things).

These are internal contradictions that indicate the origin of the Qur'an was not the mind of God, but the mind of man, Muhammad.

Reason #9: Islam cannot be from God because the Qur'an frequently contradicts the Bible.

The Qur'an advocates the beating of wives who are perceived to be misbehaving.

Qur'an - 4:34 Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allâh has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allâh and to their husbands), and guard in the husband's absence what Allâh orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband's property, etc.). As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful), but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allâh is Ever Most High, Most Great.

The Bible teaches that man is to love his wife and treat her as his own body.

Ephesians 5:25-29, 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

Surely God will not change his mind about such a significant principle in husband and wife relationships. The Quranic ideal is contrary to the teaching of the New Testament.

Reason #10: Islam cannot be from God because it denies the crucifixion of Jesus.

The central figure of the New Testament is Jesus. From his temptations in the desert to the resurrection, the focus of Jesus is his death on the cross to provide a sacrifice for mankind's sin. The Qur'an denies that Jesus died on the cross and that would then preclude his resurrection. It is the contention of Islam that God took Jesus into heaven and transformed Judas to look like Jesus. The teach that it was actually Judas who died on the cross. Qur'an 4:157. That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus The son of Mary, The apostle of Allah"; But they killed him not, Nor crucified him, But so it was made To appear to them, And those who differ Therein are full of doubts, With no (certain) knowledge, But only conjecture to follow, For of a surety, They killed him not.

The Bible clearly and plainly teaches that Jesus was crucified on the cross.

Matthew 27:35, 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 1 Corinthians 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

by Ney Reiber