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Conversations about Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed

Confessions, volumes 5 and 6 by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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Muslim Central

Ashraf Schneider

My name is Ashraf Arno Schneider, and my name stands testament to my journey. Allow me to share a brief history of my intricate conversion story with you. I was born and raised in a Christian family and named “Arno”. My mother was a beautiful singer and my father was the Pastor of our Church. From an early age I was nurtured to faith through tellings of the various religious stories including those of Abraham and his sons, Noah upon his ship and Moses with his remarkable courage to guide his people to safety. My birth name, meaning “The Eagle Leads” or “Strong as an Eagle” was chosen specifically to drive me to emulate the lives of these great men. As time progressed and I reached my teens, I found within myself a burning desire to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a religious leader. Thus, I dedicated myself to this cause and soon acquired a platform upon which I could share my passion for God, and what I believed at the time to be His untainted revelation. In my early 20’s I found myself in positions of leadership at my church. But, as my independence grew both in life and in faith; I started asking myself and my church elders questions which were often left unanswered. It was around this same time that my mother started reading the Quran after coming into contact with Islam due to a business relationship. However, due to my religious standing I questioned her desire for additional knowledge and contested her quest. My mother’s wavering Christian faith inevitably impacted my own surety, and I began to re-evaluate my plans for my life. I decided then to work for Royal Caribbean Cruises for a year in order to take some time to figure out what I wanted for my life long-term. I said goodbye to my then-girlfriend, who is now, Alhamdul’illah, my wife, I packed my bags, and I left the known behind. Before going through security to board my flight my mother held me close to her chest and whispered a prayer in my ear. It was a prayer to her new God, Allah, and one which I will never forget. She asked this Allah to “send a big angel” with me to protect me and to give me guidance. It was only once I arrived on the other side of the world, far from my friends and family, that I discovered that my mother had slipped a Quran into my bag. On the first page of the Quran she had left me a note encouraging me to read it, even if only so that I could debate against Muslim scholars if the opportunity ever presented itself. It was my love for my mother and desire to understand her conviction that drove me to crack open those pages and begin reading. I started by committing myself to reading one page per night, and so one page turned into two and then three and eventually I found myself being consumed by this Book and I read the Quran cover to cover. With this introduction to Islam, my spiritual battle truly began, and ripped my life, my heart and soul apart. Nothing was as I had been raised to believe. Separated from my loved ones by continents I felt empty, and yet I knew that this was exactly where I needed to be… Though I felt betrayed by the religious leaders of my childhood, I knew there was something guiding me now, and my excitement at having found Allah surpassed my feelings of betrayal. Even though I felt like I did not know this God yet, I knew He was right next to me, and that He would reveal Himself to me if I persisted in seeking to know Him. Having completed the Quran and found new stories of the old prophets with whom I was already familiar, I went back to the Bible on which I had been raised and started a thorough comparative analysis of the two Books. What I found is that there are far more similarities between these Books than what there are differences. The core revelation of the Quran, that there is only one, true God, is echoed in the Bible by Moses in Deuteronomy 6:4 where he declares: “Hear oh Israel, the LORD our God is ONE”. Even Jesus Christ confirms this proclamation by those who came before and after him in Mark 12:29. When Jesus himself said that “you have never heard the voice of God, nor have you ever seen His shape” [John 5:37], I was forced to confront the fact that God couldn’t possibly be a Trinity. He is One. This is where my journey began, and why I first made my declaration of faith: There is only one, true God, and Mohammad (pbuh) is the final messenger of this God.

August 3, 2020

The Path of Islam

In this episode I briefly share my journey from Christianity to Islam and the reasons for Islam as being the path to God. 1 Christian background 2 More similarities between Islam and Christianity than differences. * “… He is God – One. God, the Sustainer. He has no offspring and nor was He born. And there is none comparable to Him.” [Quran 112:1-4] * “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God – the Lord is one.” [Bible 6:4] * Jesus said, “The most important (commandment) is this, ‘Hear O Israel. The Lord our God – the Lord is One’.” [Mark 12:29] * “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above; or on the earth beneath; or in the waters below…” [Exodus 20:4-5] * “And the Father who sent me has Himself testified concerning me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form,…” [John 5:37] 3 Rational explanation for God’s existence answered. * Something can’t come from nothing -. “Were they created by nothing …” [Quran 52:35] * Creation creating itself is paradoxical – “.. or were they themselves the creators?” [Quran 52:35] * Infinite regress – “Did they create the heavens and the earth?” [Quran 52:36] * The universes’ existence is necessitated by a being that is all-powerful, all-knowing, sustaining and self-sustaining. 4 Does the Biblical Jesus fit the necessary criteria as all-powerful, all-knowing and a self-sustaining sustainer? * Is Jesus all-powerful – “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” [John 5:30] * Is Jesus all-knowing? – “But about that (final) day or hour, no one knows – not even the angels in heaven, but only the Father.” [Matthew 24:36] * Was Jesus self-sustaining? – He ate, slept, prayed, etc. 5 Comparatively, why the Quran is then from God * Does it represent God correctly – attesting to all-powerful, all-knowing, self-sustaining. * Internal validity – no contradictions. * External validation – consistent with creation, scientific proofs, etc. * Scientific proof: “Do the disbelievers not realise that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We separated them and created from water every living thing? Will they not then believe?” [Quran21:30] * Scientific proof: Female bees – “And your Lord inspired the bees: “Make homes in the mountains, the trees, and in what people constuct.” [Quran 16:68] * Scientific proof: “Have we not smoothed out the earth and made the mountains as stakes?” [Quran 78:6-7] * Divinity: Quran as a miracle. 6 Conclusion: * Prophet Muhammad: consistency in the prophetic narrative. * Oneness of God * Worshiping God – submitting to His will: accountability, obedience, sincere deeds, praise/glorification, seeking His pleasure.

July 30, 2020

Jesus is Muslim

This episode unpacks the fundamental belief’s of Jesus (Isa) within the Bible as is echoed within Islamic scripture. 1 Similarity of Jesus to Islam in prayer, manners, dress, etc. 2 Jesus regarding Oneness of God. * “One of the scribes/teachers came … (and asked Jesus), “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus answered, “The most important one is this: ‘Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one…” [ Mark 12:28-29 ] * “Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending (returning) to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” [ John 20:17 ] * “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” [ John 17:3 ] 3 Jesus regarding ‘who’ is worthy of worship. * “… “O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” – whoever associates others with Allah, Allah has forbidden him Paradise… “ [ Quran 5:72 ] * “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” “ [ Luke 4:8 ] * “A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good – no one is good except God alone.” ” [ Luke 18:18-19 ] 4 Jesus regarding salvation and forgiveness. * “ .. “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls. Do not lose hope of God’s mercy, for God certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-forgiving, Most Merciful.” “ [ Quran 39:53 ] * The contradictory claim (attributed to Paul) to justify the concept that Jesus had to sacrifice himself and shed blood for the salvation of others – “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” [ Hebrews 9:22 ] * The Torah (Old Testament) contradicts the claim of blood sacrifice: “The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to Me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings… I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs and goats … Your hands are full of blood. Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of My sight; stop doing wrong; learn to do right; seek justice; defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow …” [ Isaiah 1:11-20 ] * Similarly in Job: Proverbs * And in Hosea 6:6 “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.” * In Jesus’ own words: “.. go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’. For I have not come to call the righteous, but rather the sinners.” [ Matthew 9:13 ] * “For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” [ Matthew 6:14 ] * “Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” [ Luke 19:9-10 ] 5 Jesus regarding submission. * “When the believers are called to God and His messenger in order for him to judge between them, they say, ‘We hear and we obey.’ ..” [ Quran 24:51 ] * “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets; I have not come to change them but to fulfill them. For I truly tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter,

July 24, 2020

Why I Rejected the Trinity and Accepted Tawhid

Why I rejected the Trinity and accepted Tawhid 1 Say, “He is God, One; God, The Eternal, The Sustainer. He neither begets, nor was born. And there is nothing comparable to Him.” [Quran 112] 2 Similarities between the Bible and the Quran. * “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” [Deuteronomy 6:4] * “... Jesus (says), ‘…Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’ “ [Mark 12:29] * “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, …” [Exodus 20:3-5] * “… You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,..” [John 5:37] * “… God, the Blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal … and who is unseen and cannot be seen… “ [1 Timothy 6:16] 3 Definition/meaning of Trinity * One God with three personalities (Father, son and holy ghost) i.e. co-equal, co-eternal, omnipresent, all-powerful, all-knowing * Regarding omnipresence – “As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me (Jesus), a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God, Abraham did not do such things.” [John 8:40] * Regarding All-Knowing – “But about that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father.” [Matthew 24:36] * Regarding All-Powerful – “By myself (Jesus) I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” [John 5:30] * Jesus testifies many times that miracles are testimony to God’s power, not his own, as did all the prophets before similarly testify in the Bible. * “… it is by the Spirit of God that i drive out demons, …” [Matthew 12:28] “But if drive out demons by the finger of God,…” [Luke 11:20] 4 Is there historic precedence for the Trinity in the first 300 years after Christ * Council of Nicaea – Constantine * Pagan Mithraism commonalities with Christianity * Church Father (scholar) Tertullian tries to defend Christianity’s similarities to Mithraism * Inclusion of Holy Spirit at First Council of Constantinople AD 381 5 In his words, is Jesus God? * “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” [John 17:3] 6 ‘Ho theos’ not ‘ton theon’ [John 1:1] [John 1:18] [John 20:28] [2 Corinthians 4:4] 7 Conclusion

July 24, 2020

Quran 39v53 and Salvation in Christianity

This short discussion contrasts salvation in Christianity with salvation in Islam. * The Christian understanding of salvation * Salvation in the Quran 39:53 – “O my servants who have transgressed against themselves – do no despair of God’s mercy, for God certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” * Repentance in Islam * Does salvation/repentance in the Old Testament require bloodshed “… The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me?” says the Lord…”I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts… Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed; take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” [Bible Isaiah 1:11-17] “… The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them. But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps to my laws/decrees and does righteous deeds, that person will surely live and will not die…” [Bible Ezekiel 18:20] Proverbs 21:3 Isaiah 6 * Does salvation/repentance in the New Testament require bloodshed Jesus says, “I will have mercy, not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous but I came to call the wicked” [Matthew 9:13] … “Our Father in heaven… forgive us our sins as we forgive those who transgress against us…” Luke 19:1-9 “Today salvation has come to this house… “ Of disputed authorship is Hebrews 9:22 justifying blood sacrifice which is in contrast to Jesus’ teachings mentioned here before.

July 23, 2020

Does God Exist

July 20, 2020

Son of God #2

July 20, 2020

Son of God #1

July 19, 2020

Dawah Training #12 - Shahada

July 19, 2020

Dawah Training #11 - Prophethood

July 19, 2020

Dawah Training #10 - Revelation

July 19, 2020

Dawah Training #9 - God's Oneness

July 19, 2020

Dawah Training #8 - The Existence of God

July 19, 2020

Dawah Training #7 - Initiation

July 19, 2020

Dawah Training #6 - Knowing the Human

July 18, 2020

Dawah Training #5 - Downfall of Dawah

July 18, 2020

Dawah Training #4 - Character of Duaat

July 17, 2020

Dawah Training #3 - Reward of Dawah

July 16, 2020

Dawah Training #2 - Knowing Allah

July 15, 2020

Dawah Training #1 - Introduction to Dawah

June 4, 2020

From Christian to Muslim

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