مِيحِرَّلٱ نِـٰمَحۡرَّلٱ ِللهٱ مِسِۡب Bismi Allahi Alrrahmani Alrraheemi In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful Islam’s Revival of Jesus’ Teachings Twenty abandoned Biblical teachings revived by Islam Compiled by Majed S. Alrassi November 2013 NO DOUBT THIS LIFE IS AN EXAMINATION WHICH NEEDS YOUR FULL CONSIDERATION AS TO WHAT YOU WILL TAKE TO YOUR FINAL DESTINATION ONLY TRUE BELIEF AND GOOD DEEDS ARE YOUR WAY TO SALVATION (Muhammad Sherif) 1 Contents About the word 'Lord' ................................................................. 5 About the word 'Allah' ................................................................ 6 Introduction ................................................................................ 7 Islam’s revival of the basic teachings of Jesus ......................... 10 Introduction 1. Revival of the creed of Allah’s unity [of essence] 2. Revival of Allah’s supremacy in terms of His attributes and qualities 3. Revival of the doctrine of monotheism [worship of Allah alone] 4. Revival of the creed of Jesus’ prophethood 5. Revival of the creed of Jesus' humanness 6. Revival of the doctrine of Jesus' ascension (negating crucifixion) 7. Revival of the prohibition of augury 8. Revival of the prohibition of witchcraft 9. Revival of the prohibition of taking interest 10. Revival of the prohibition of consuming pork 11. Revival of the prohibition of consuming blood 12. Revival of the prohibition of alcoholic drinks 2 13. Revival of the prohibition of adultery 14. Revival of ablution before prayer 15. Revival of performing prayers physically 16. Revival of compulsory charity [zakâh] 17. Revival of fasting 18. Revival of greeting with the supplication of peace 19. Revival of veiling [hijab] for women 20. Revival of polygyny 21. Revival of circumcision Conclusion Why Islam .............................................................................. 54 A Final Call to reason ............................................................... 58 This Is It .............................................................................. 60 A Whisper .............................................................................. 62 How to become a Muslim ......................................................... 66 Conclusion... ............................................................................. 72 Bibliography ............................................................................. 73 Appendix .............................................................................. 74 Glossary……….. ...................................................................... 77 3 4 Honorific phrases in this book (the Exalted) Used after the mention of God/Allah to express: Glorified and Exalted is He (blessings and Blessings and peace be upon him; used peace be upon him) after mention of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Peace be upon him; used after mention him) of any prophet or after mention of Angel Gabriel (May Allah be used after mention of a male pleased with him) Companion of the Prophet Muhammad (May Allah be used after mention of a female pleased with her) Companion of the Prophet Muhammad 5 About the word ‘Lord’ The word lord in English has several related meanings. The original meaning is ‘master’ or ‘ruler’ and in this sense it is often used to refer to human beings: ‘the lord of the mansion’ or ‘Lord So-and-So’ (in the United Kingdom, for example). The word Lord with a capital L is used in the lexicon of Islam to refer to the One and Only God - Allah. In Islam, there is no ambiguity about the meaning of this word. While it is true that one may occasionally use the word lord (whether capitalized or not) to refer to a human being, in Islamic discourse the reference of this term is always clear from the context. Whereas for Christians, Hindus and other polytheists, the word Lord with a capital L may refer to Allah, to Jesus or to some imagined deity, for Muslims, there can be no plurality of meaning. Allah alone is the Lord, and the Lord is Allah - not Jesus, not Rama, not any other being. The Editor 6 About the word 'Allah' Although the English word ‘God’ has often been used interchangeably in this book with the word Allah, there is a difference. ‘Allah’ is the word in Arabic that is translated as ‘God’. However, ‘Allah’ has a much more precise meaning than ‘God’. ‘Allah’ is not merely an Arabic term for the word ‘god’. Instead, the root word of the word ‘Allah’ is ilâh, which means ‘a god’. There are countless numbers of made-up ‘gods’, but only One True God whose name is Allah. The word ‘Allah’ literally means ‘the worshipped’. Allah is, thus, the proper name for the only Being that is worthy of worship, the True Creator of the universe. By saying ‘Allah’, Muslims are, in essence, negating every other entity which people wrongfully worship. The name ‘Allah’ is how God Almighty has referred to Himself in the Qur’an1, and how Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) also referred to Him. Therefore, in this work, the term ‘Allah’ will often be used in reference to this One and Only God, who is worthy of worship. 1 The Qur’an is the sacred book or scripture revealed to Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him). 7