Did Allah Spread Christianity?
by
Bassam Zawadi
Introduction
A lot of Christians argue that because Allah "deceived" people into making them believe that Jesus was crucified then He was the cause of the spread of Christianity. I am going to argue against this insha'allah willing in this article.
The article will be divided into two main segments. The first one is going to be the Islamic perspective regarding Jesus. Then in the second segment, I am going to prove from the Bible it self that not everyone thought that Jesus was crucified, especially the disciples.
Islamic Perspective
It is clear in the Quran that Allah only deceived those who were plotting to kill Jesus. He did not deceive everyone...
Surah 4:157
And [on account of] their saying: "We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, messenger of God." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him.
The verse clearly says that those who claimed that they killed the Messiah were deceived. It didn't say everyone was deceived.
Taken from http://www.harunyahya.com/books/faith/did_not_die/jesus_did_not_die_03.php...
Those Who Claim Jesus (pbuh) Was Killed Are Speculating
The unbelievers sought to kill Jesus (pbuh). And even though God foiled their plot, an environment in which they imagined that they had been successful was created. They were unable to kill or crucify Jesus (pbuh), and were shown a double in his place. Therefore, those who maintain that Jesus (pbuh) was killed are only speculating. In his commentary, al-Tabari stated that the unbelievers have no sure information about this event:
The Jews who debate over Jesus (pbuh) are unsure of whether he was killed or not. What they know about this issue is based merely on assumptions. They know very little about whether the person they killed was Jesus (pbuh) or not. They merely imagine that the person they killed was Jesus (pbuh), as they had intended. They very definitely did not kill him . because they continue to speculate about his death.(Tafsir al-Tabari, 1:428)
The fact that they have doubts shows that the unbelievers did not achieve their goal. Had they really killed Jesus (pbuh), there would be no room for doubt and they would be certain that they had succeeded. Let us consider this with an example. Someone who opens fire in order to kill someone else will know whether the intended victim has actually been killed or not. Alternatively, there needs to be very exceptional circumstances for there to be any doubt about whether someone condemned to death has actually died. If there is doubt, something out of the ordinary must have occurred. Those who had sought to kill Jesus (pbuh) would have felt no doubt as to whether they had succeeded or not. However, our Lord reveals that they did have such doubts, were only speculating, and had no certain information. This is one of the proofs that Jesus (pbuh) did not die but was raised alive to God's presence.
Foiling this Trap Shows God's Superior Might
Another element that attracts our attention is the expression: "God raised him to Himself. God is Almighty, All-Wise" (Qur'an, 4:158). In all likelihood, this extraordinary situation shows God's superior might. (God knows best.)
In their commentaries on this verse, Islamic scholars point out that these words represent an extraordinary revelation of God's might and wisdom. For example, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi said:
God reveals at the end of the verse that "God is Almighty, All-Wise." The intention behind almightiness here is the perfection and immaculate nature of that might, and that behind wisdom is the perfection and immaculate nature of knowledge. In this way, God has indicated the raising of Jesus (pbuh) and that no matter how impossible this may seem to a person, it is not impossible relative to His might and wisdom. A similar situation can be seen in the verse: "Glory be to Him, Who took His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque [Masjid al-Haram] to the Further Mosque [Masjid al-Aqsa]." (Qur'an, 17:1). That is because no matter how much such a journey may be impossible relative to the power of Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace), it is a most easy matter relative to the might of God.(Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Mafatih al-Ghayb, 11:102-3)
Mehmed Vehbi interpreted one of the elements of wisdom behind this revelation:
The elevation of Jesus (pbuh) to the heavens is determined in this verse. Although elevation to the heavens is impossible relative to human power, in order to announce that this is not difficult relative to His might and wisdom, God declares in the verse's preceding part that He is All-Wise and Almighty. And in order to reveal the perfection of His knowledge, He reveals that He is sovereign and that His might and wisdom are sufficient to elevate Jesus (pbuh) to the heavens.(Hadimli, Hulasat ul-Bayan, 3:1108)
Hasanayn Muhammad Mahluf cited Prophet Muhammad's (may God bless him and grant him peace) ascent to heaven and stated:
In the same way that our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) ascended to the heavens in both body and soul awake, so Jesus (pbuh) was raised alive to the heavens. There is nothing peculiar here. Situations of this kind are miraculous. There is no need for any comparison on this matter. God possesses might over all.(Hasanayn Muhammad Mahluf, Fetava Serriye ve Buhusun Islamiyye, (Cairo: 1971), 1:92-93)
Other Islamic scholars opined that Jesus (pbuh) did not die and could not be killed, and that he is alive in God's presence. Some of their comments are given below:
Omer Nasuhi Bilmen: "They do not definitively believe that Jesus (pbuh) was killed. Such guesswork and speculation have no value. God openly declares the true facts in the Qur'an, saying that He used His divine might to raise this blessed prophet, alive, to the heavens. For those who look at the greatness of the divine might and its manifestation in the universe, with millions of creations, with the eye of the heart, it is impossible to regard the raising of a glorious prophet, in body and soul, to the highest levels, as an untrustworthy account."(Omer Nasuhi Bilmen, Kuran-i Kerim'in Türkce Meali Alisi ve Tefsiri (The Turkish Translation of the Noble Qur'an and Its Commentary), 2:702)
Hasanayn Muhammad Mahluf: "The belief of Muslims is this: Jesus (pbuh) was neither crucified nor killed, but was raised alive in body and soul to the heavens. He will continue to live in the heavens for as long as God so wills."(Mahluf, Fetava Seriyye, 1:92-93)
Imam Zahid al-Kawthari: "The Jews intended to physically kill Jesus (pbuh), but God confounded their aim by rescuing the body of Jesus (pbuh) and raising him to His presence. In order to refute the Jews' claim, this ascension must have been a physical one."(Al-Kawthari, Nazra 'Abira fi Maza'im, 32-33)
Hamdi Yazir of Elmali: "Those who differ on this issue are definitely in a state of doubt and have no knowledge in this regard. They have engaged in speculation. However, those who said that they killed Jesus (pbuh) certainly did not kill him. Therefore, it is a lie for them to boast of killing and murder. That is because the judgment depends on the intention behind a deed. The aim behind their initiative to kill never transpired."(Yazir, Hak Din Kuran Dili, 3:1516-19)
Al-Qurtubi: "The interpretation of the verse is: 'I shall raise you to Myself without you dying, cleanse you from the blasphemers, and kill you after your descent from the heavens.'"(Al-Qurtubi, al-Jami' li Ahkam il-Qur'an, (Cairo : 1967), 4:99)
A Look at the Bible
It is a common misconception amongst Christians that Paul and the Apostles of Christ were unanimous in their preaching of a crucified Jesus. Christians think that the apostles and Paul were preaching the same doctrine and everyone believed in the divine Jesus who came to be crucified for the sins of the world. However, if one examines the bible carefully, that person would observe that Paul and the disciples were not preaching the same doctrine and did not believe in the same Jesus.
Galatians 1:6
6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel
It says 'different Gospel', so obviously the disciples were teaching them a different doctrine and it was not just minor issues.
Galatians 3:1-3
1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish?
Obviously we have people that are disagreeing with Paul over the crucifixion of Jesus. Notice how Paul says 'Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified', so that means that whoever 'bewitched' the Galatians was preaching that Jesus was not crucified.
2 Corinthians 11:4-5
4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 5But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles."
Paul is accusing the people of following a Jesus that is being preached differently than the Jesus he preached. Now what was the Jesus that Paul preached?...
1 Corinthians 1:23
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
So here we see that Paul preached a crucified Jesus. So if Paul was accusing people of following a Jesus that was different from the one he preached then that means that there were people who believed that Jesus was crucified.
2 Corinthians 11: 22-24
What anyone else dares to boast about?I am speaking as a fool'I also dare to boast about. 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
Again he is comparing himself to the disciples and we can clearly see that they are teaching a different kind of Jesus than he was.
Conclusion
So it is clear from the Bible it self that not everyone believed in the Jesus who came to get crucified for the sins of the world and to replace the law. That there were differences amongst the Apostles and Paul. The Apostles stuck to the true teachings of Jesus, which was upholding the law and that the Apostles who lived with Jesus knew him better than Paul who never even saw Jesus except in a "vision". The only deceiver here was Paul and not Allah.
Recommended Readings
http://islamic-answers.com/jesus__words_only
https://o.b5z.net/i/u/6053592/i/Pauline_Corruption_of_Biblical_Analysis.pdf
https://o.b5z.net/i/u/6053592/i/Jude_s_Epistle_-_More_Evidence_of_Rift_Between_Jerusalem_and_Paul__.pdf
http://islamic-answers.com/jesus_or_paul_____audio_lecture_
https://o.b5z.net/i/u/6053592/i/Was_Paul_or_James__Church_the_more_succesfull_Evangelist.pdf
http://www.justgivemethetruth.com/paul_was_a_deceiver.htm
http://www.comparative-religion.com/articles/pauline_conspiracy/
http://www.authenticsunnah.org/abdullah_smith/anti_christ_paul_1.htm
http://www.authenticsunnah.org/abdullah_smith/paul_the_corrupter.htm
http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1994/1/1voice94.html
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