1

Table of contents

Introduction

1. Basic Tenets of Islam:

1.1. The “Five Pillars” of Islam
1.2. Six Articles of Faith:

1.2. 1. Belief in God (Allah)

1.2. 2. Belief in Angels

1.2. 3. Belief in Holy Books

1.2. 4. Belief in prophets

1.2. 5. Belief in the resurrection

1.2. 6. Belief in destiny

2. Relationship of Islam to Judaism and Christianity:

3. Christian Response to Islamic Faith:

3.1. Islam says Jesus is not divine
3.2. Islam Denies the Sacrificial Death of Jesus and His Resurrection

3.3. Islam Teaches Salvation by Law-Keeping without Sacrifice

3.4. Doctrine of scripture

3.4.1. Qur’an replaces the NT

3.4.2. Infallibility of Scripture-

3.4.3. Unity of scripture

3.5. The claim of Islam:

3.6. The character of Jesus above Muhammad

3.7. Miracles-

3. 8. Resurrection

Conclusion

Bibliography
 2

Introduction:
“Islam” is the proper term for the religion revealed by Muhammad, sometimes spelled
Mohammed, in Arabia in the early 7th century. “Islam” means “submission.” According to
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, Islamic theology says that all of God's messengers since Adam
preached the message of Islam-submission to the will of the one God. Adherents of Islam are
called “Muslims” means “one who submits,” and the Qur’an, commonly been spelled Koran,
states that the proper name Muslim was given by Abraham. Arabians are descendants of
Ishmael, so Islam claims to be a renewal of the ancient religion of Abraham traced through
Ishmael.1 Jews are the physical descendants of Abraham through Isaac. Christianity was
founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ and the followers are called Christians. They are
the spiritual descendents of Abraham. Among these religion of monotheistic faith, Islam is
the most widespread religion of the world today. It is easy to convert a Hindu but it is very
difficult to convert a Muslim, whether nominal or religious. So there is always a challenge
before Christians regarding their faith, and this paper is all about the basic tenets of Islam and
the Christian response to the Islamic faith.

1. Basic Tenets of Islam: Carl Medearis gives seven basic tenets of Islam. They are,
a. Belief in God, the one and only one God with no partner, no son, no associate, and no
companion
b. Belief in Prophet Muhammad as God’s prophet and messenger
c. Belief in the five pillars of Islam (testimony of God oneness and Muhammad prophet-
hood, Praying, alms giving, fasting Ramadan, and performing pilgrimage).
d. Belief in six articles of faith (faith in God, His angels, His holy books, His prophets,
Resurrection day, and destiny).
e. Belief in Quran and following Quran teachings
f. Following Islam morals
g. Performing good deeds. 2
1.1. The “Five Pillars” of Islam
The five pillars of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life: According to Stuart
Brown, they are

1
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, The Gospel and Islam, (Bombay: Gospel Literature Service,1982),02.
2
Carl Medearis, Muslims, Christians, and Jesus, (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2008),03.
 3

a. Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of
Muhammad.
b. Establishment of the daily prayers;
c. Concern for and almsgiving to the needy;
d. Self-purification through fasting; and
e. The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.3
In addition to this JEHAD (Holy war) is also enjoined up on Muslims but these days it
is treated as moral and spiritual obligation only. 4
1.2. Six Articles of Faith:
Islam's basic tenets of belief to be known are the fundamentals of iman and Islam. The
fundamentals of iman, as Michael Nazir-Ali says, are as follows:
1.2. 1. Belief in God (Allah)
Allah is the Wajib al-wujud (the Necessary Existence) and the Real Mabud (the One
worshipped) and the Creator of all things. There is no ilah (being to be worshipped) except
Him. He is not with time or with place. He does not resemble anything. Belief in Allah
involves faith in One and Only one God and his following seven attributes; life, knowledge,
power, will, hearing, sight, speech or word. These Attributes of His are eternal in the past,
being without beginning. The only angel who refused to prostrate before Adam and was
made outcast is Iblis (Satan). 5
1.2. 2. Belief in Angels
Chawkat Moucary says angels are alive; that is, they have life. They are luminous,
spiritual creatures that have reason .They are beloved and dear slaves of Allah. They are not
His partners, nor are they His daughters. They obey His commands, and they never react in
disobedience to the commands, nor do they commit sins. They do not engage in duties other
than what they are commanded. They are neither male nor female. They do not get married,
do not give birth, do not reproduce, and do not have children. They do not eat or drink. They
have wings but we do not know the genuine nature of those wings.6
According to Michael victor and Paul Jackson the angels that record all actions of
human beings are called Kiraman Katibin. The interrogative angels are called Munkar and
Nakir. The most superior angels are the four archangels, namely, Jibrail (Gabriel), Israfil

3
Stuart Brown, The Nearest in Affection, (Geneva: WCC,1994), 11-13.
4
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, The Gospel and Islam, 20.
5
Michael Nazir-Ali, Jesus Christ the only way, ed. Patrick Sookhdeo, (Granville:Paternoster
press,1978),79.
6
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah, (Illinois: InterVarsity,2001),40.
 4

(who blows the trumpet), Mikail (the provider of food) and Izrail (the angel of death).7
1.2. 3. Belief in Holy Books
according to Chawkat Moucary, belief in the Holy Books involves faith in the Holy
Qur’an revealed to Muhammad and in all other Holy Books revealed by Allah to Abraham,
Ishmael, Issac,Jacob and his children, Moses, Jesus and to all other prophets. However, only
104 of them are mentioned in the religious books. 100 of them are little Books called
suhuf. These 100 suhuf were revealed to the following Prophets: 10 suhuf to Adam, 50
suhuf to Shit , 30 suhuf to Idris ,10 suhuf to Abraham.8 The other four big Books were
revealed to the following Prophets: The Tawrat (Torah) to Musa (Moses), The Zabur (the
original Psalms) to Dawud (David), The Injil (Latin Evangelium) to Isa (Jesus), The Qur'an
to the Prophet Muhammad.
The Qur’an, Moucary says, replaced all Divine Books, abolished the validity of their
rules, and included all these rules in itself. Today all people have to obey the commandments
of the Qur’an. Accordingly, it is declared in the Qur’an: “Obey My Prophet!” In this case, all
have to obey the rules stated in it. These Divine Books were distorted, that is, altered by
people later on. Even if they had not been defiled, they still wouldn't have had validity
because all of them were abrogated, that is, invalidated by Allah.9
The revelation of the Qur’an was made verse by verse and completed in 23 years. It
will remain valid up to the end of the world. It is kept secure from being invalid and
distortions. One who claims that there are reductions or additions in the Qur’an has not
believed in Allah.10
1.2. 4. Belief in prophets
The first of the prophets is Adam and the last one is Muhammad. So many prophets
were sent between these two, but their exact number is not known. It is well-known that they
are more than 124,000. Having belief in prophets means believing in the fact that all
prophets, without exception, were devoted, truthful people who were selected by Allah. One
who does not believe in even one of them regarded as not believing in any. All prophets,
from Adam to Muhammad, communicated the same iman and ordered their ummats (Muslim
community) to believe in the same things. Jews believe in Musa (Moses) but do not believe

7
Michael victor and Paul Jackson, The Pillars of Islam, in The Muslims of India, ed. Paul Jackson,
(Bangalore: Theological publications, 2001), 08.
8
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah, 42.
9
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah, 42-43.
10
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah,43.
 5

in Isa and Muhammad. Christians believe in Isa but do not believe in Muhammad. As for
Muslims, they believe in and accept all prophets.11
Muslims, according to Kateregga and Shenk, believe that God revealed his final
message to humanity through the Islamic prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.12
For them, Muhammad was God's final prophet and the Qur'an is the revelations he received
over more than two decades. In Islam, prophets are men selected by God to be his
messengers. Muslims believe that prophets are human and not divine, though some are able
to perform miracles to prove their claim. Islamic prophets are considered to be the closest to
perfection of all humans, and are uniquely the recipients of divine revelation-either directly
from God or through angels.13
All prophets, as Qur’an says, have these peculiarities: trustworthiness, their all deeds
are true; they never lie, they communicate the religion precisely, justness, they never commit
sins, super intelligence, security against dismissal from prophethood. Just from the time of
Adam who was the first human being created and who was the first Prophet to come, Allah
sent mankind a religion by means of a prophet every thousand years. Muhammad is the last
Prophet; that is, no prophet will succeed him. It is purported in the Qur’an.14

1.2. 5. Belief in the resurrection

After death, everybody will be resurrected and will go to Paradise or Hell after
questioning and settlement of accounts on every action. Deshmuch says Paradise and Hell
exist now, and both of them are eternal. Paradise for Muslims and Hell for unbelievers will be
eternal abode.15brown views that it is not made known when Doomsday will occur.
Nevertheless, the Prophet Muhammad pointed out many of its indications and
instances: Hadrat al-Mahdi16 will come; Isa will descend from the sky; ad-Dajjal, who is
called Antichrist by Christians, will appear; people called Yajujj and Majuj (two witnesses)
will put the whole world into turmoil; the sun will rise in the west; violent earthquakes will
occur; religious knowledge will be forgotten; vice and evil will increase.17 Many Muslims, as
Victor and Jackson says, believe that Muhammad will intercede on their behalf on the Day of

11
Badru D.kateregga and David W. Shenk, A Muslim and a Christian in Dilogue,(Ontario: Herald
press,1997),63-64.
12
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, The Gospel and Islam,08.
13
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah, (Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2001),253.
14
Badru D.kateregga and David W. Shenk, A Muslim and a Christian in Dilogue,64.
15
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, The Gospel and Islam, 19-20.
16
The directed for the guided one; according to common muslim belief the mighty one who will appear
in the last days.
17
Stuart Brown, The Nearest in Affection, (Geneva: WCC,1994), 12-13.
 6

Resurrection.18
1.2. 6. Belief in destiny
Brown opines that Good and evil, advantage and harm coming upon human beings are
all by Allah’s will and with his eternal knowledge. Though everything, good or evil deeds of
human beings, are created by Allah, He has bestowed partial will upon people. If one, using
this partial will, wants a good deed to be created, then one gains favor. But if one wants an
evil deed to be created, then one will have committed a sin. If people commit sins, they will
receive punishments. On the other hand, if they earn favor, then they will be awarded. In
other words, Allah does not compel his born slaves to commit sins. 19
All unbelievers, Victor and Jackson say, are destined to spend eternity in hell, while
believers who are guilty of sin will have to spend some time there but will ultimately be
saved unless they have committed the heinous sin of shirk. But on the other hand paradise is
the abode of the blessed. The delights of paradise are vividly described in the Qur’an and
include spacious dwelling places, flowing streams, luxuriant vegetation, beautiful damsels
and heavenly wine.20

2. Relationship of Islam to Judaism and Christianity:

Renard says Islamic texts depict Judaism and Christianity as prophetic successor
traditions to the teachings of Abraham. The Qur’an calls Jews and Christians “People of the
Book” (ahl al-kitab), and distinguishes them from polytheists. Muslims believe that parts of
the previously revealed scriptures, the Tawrat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospels), had become
distorted-either in interpretation, in text, or both. Here is the threefold relationship of Islam to
Judaism and Christianity. Firstly, it can be noticed that Islam claims to believe in the same
God as Jews and Christians, the God of Abraham, revealed in the Old Testament. Muslims
generally claim that “Allah” is just their name for the God of the Bible. Significant
differences exist, however, regarding how the religions view Jesus Christ. Secondly, all three
religions began from the work of major individual prophets. Jews’ beliefs were revealed by
Moses, Christians’ by Jesus, and Muslims’ by Muhammad. Islam recognizes both Moses and
Jesus as prophets (along with other Bible prophets), but it claims that Muhammad is the last
of the prophets and his revelation supersedes those of Moses and Jesus. Thirdly, all are based
on written revelations claimed to be infallibly inspired by God. The Jews accept only the Old
18
Micael victor and Paul Jackson, The Pillars of Islam, in The Muslims of India, ed. Paul Jackson,09.
19
Stuart Brown, The Nearest in Affection, (Geneva: WCC, 1994), 12.
20
Micael Victor and Paul Jackson, The Pillars of Islam, in The Muslims of India, ed. Paul Jackson,10-
11.
 7

Testament, Christians also accept the New Testament, and Muslims accept the Qur’an (they
also have great respect for Muslim traditions).21 According to cancer, Just as Christians
believe the Old Testament was inspired but was replaced by the New Testament, so Muslims
believe the Old and New Testaments were inspired but were both replaced by the Qur’an. For
these reasons many similarities exist among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Yet there also
exists the essential differences among them. 22

3. Christian Response to Islamic Faith:

In many ways the Muslims’ doctrine opposes Christian doctrine. Here is the Christian
response to the Islamic doctrine.
3.1. Islam says Jesus is not divine- Muhammad taught, according to Chapman, there
is only one Divine Being in God. He denied the Deity of Jesus, saying He was just a man - a
great prophet, but not the Divine Son of God. (Qur’an 4:162-171; 6:100,101; 19:88-92). But
The Bible says Jesus is Divine. - Jesus (the Word) was God, was with God in the beginning,
and became flesh to dwell among men as a man (John 1:1,14). Thomas called Jesus “my Lord
and my God.” Jesus pronounced a blessing on all others who believe the same (John 20:28-
31). Muslims claim to believe Bible, therefore they can’t deny what Bible says, and rather
they must believe it. Again bible says Jesus is the Only-Begotten Son of God. During His
lifetime many people believed, what Muslims believe today, that Jesus was a great prophet
like other prophets. But Peter confessed that Jesus was not just a man but was the Christ, the
Son of the living God. Jesus Himself affirmed that Peter's statement had been revealed by
God (Matt16:13-17). God himself spoke Twice from heaven and claimed Jesus as His
beloved Son (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). Jesus plainly admitted that He had said, “I am the Son of
God” (John 10:35). To believe that Jesus was just a great man and a prophet is to belittle Him
and to deny His own statements. To believe some other man was as great as Jesus is to
blaspheme Him. If Jesus spoke the truth, then He was more than a prophet. So Muslims must
either admit that Jesus was the Divine Son of God, or else they must admit they do not
believe that Jesus and the Bible are true.23
The Bible says Jesus has Divine characteristics. He was eternal (Micah 5:2;Isa. 9:6).
He was all-knowing (John 16:30; 21:17). Not a mere man can possess these characteristics.
These characteristics are not true of Muhammad. Therefore he can’t be as great as Jesus. The

21
John Renard, 101 Questions ans Answers on Islam, (New Jersy: Paulist Press, 1998),101-17.
22
Emir Fethi Caner and Ergun Mehmet Caner, More Than a Prophet, (Grand Rapids: kregel
publication, 2003), 23-25.
23
Colin Chapman, Cross and Cresent, (Illinois: Inter Varsity press, 2003), 251-53.
 8

Bible says Jesus is the Creator of the universe and the Judge of mankind. All things were
made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was (John 1:3). Jesus will be the
judge of all people; all will appear before Him (2 Cor 5:10). Jesus will be Muhammad's
judge. Mere human prophet can’t create the universe or judge all mankind. Muhammad
makes no such claims. These are the claims of a Divine Being. So Muslims can’t deny these
teachings and yet claim to believe the Bible is true and Jesus was a prophet. The Bible says
Jesus accepted worship. Jesus taught that no one but God should be worshipped (Matt. 4:10).
Both men and angels in the New Testament refused to allow people to bow in worship to
them (Acts 10:25, 26; Rev. 22:8,9). However, Jesus' disciples worshipped Him, and angels
are commanded by God to worship Him (Matt 28:9,17; Heb 1:6). Jesus accepted worship
such as was forbidden to man. How can Islam believe the Bible and believe Jesus was from
God, while denying that He deserved worship? Therefore it is incredible for them to claim
that Jesus was just a human prophet and that Muhammad was as great a prophet as Jesus.24
3.2. Islam Denies the Sacrificial Death of Jesus and His Resurrection.
According to Medearis Islam denies that Jesus was crucified, that He died as a sacrifice
for sin, and that He arose from the dead (Qur’an 4:156,157).25 The Bible teaches Jesus died
by crucifixion as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Jesus predicted He would be crucified,
then rise again (Matt 20:17-19). He claimed that He would shed His blood for the remission
of man's sins (Matt 26:28). If Islam denies these statements from Jesus and the Bible, it
should not claim to believe the Bible is from God and Jesus was a true teacher. The Bible
teaches that Jesus was raised from the dead, as proved by the testimony of eyewitnesses.
Jesus predicted He would be crucified and then rise again (Matt20:17-19). He also taught that
His death and resurrection was a fulfillment of prophecy (Luke 24:44-46). Apostle Paul saw
the resurrected Christ and he says He died for our sins, was buried, and arose as prophesied
and as testified by eyewitnesses who saw Him alive (1cor 15:3-8). The resurrection of Jesus
is absolutely fundamental to the claims of Jesus and the gospel. The apostles repeatedly
affirmed it to be true on the basis of eyewitness testimony. This is proof such as neither Islam
nor any other religion can offer. The Bible teaches that salvation can be obtained only
through Jesus.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me” (John 14:6). Acts 4:12 says “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no
other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” One can only be

24
Colin Chapman, Cross and Cresent, 253-55.
25
Carl Medearis, Muslims, Christians, and Jesus,109.
 9

saved through Jesus, no other way. Islam denies salvation through Jesus.26 Therefore, Islam
cannot save and Muslims have no way to be saved. The Old Testament had animal sacrifices.
The New Testament has the superior, perfect sacrifice of Jesus. But, Islam has no sacrifice for
sin at all. Without a sacrifice for sin, there can be no remission (Heb. 9:22). It follows that
Islam not only is not a superior system, but it cannot save at all.27
3.3. Islam Teaches Salvation by Law-Keeping without Sacrifice.
Islam offers, as Chapman says, only a vague (unclear) concept of how man is saved.
Evil is balanced against good, and if good outweighs, a person might be saved. Outward
obedience is emphasized, not faith, love, or the condition of one’s heart. But The Bible
teaches that all have sinned, and even one sin leads to eternal punishment (Rom 3:23). This is
why a sacrifice is needed. No matter how much good one has done, it can never outweigh
the evil of his sin. Islam’s approach to righteousness is even less effective than that of the Old
Testament. Under the Old Testament, anyone who disobeyed in any point was under a curse.
(Gal 3:10). To seek justification by the law is to fall from grace. The law itself provided
justification only for those who lived without ever sinning, and no one did that except Jesus.
This is why God replaced the Old Testament with the New. But Islam, like the Old
Testament, is a system of strict law keeping. Islam does not even have the animal sacrifices
of the Old Testament. So Islam claims to be better than the New Testament, when in reality it
is worse than the Old Testament. To accept it is to return to a yoke of bondage, having no
hope for salvation.28
3.4. Doctrine of scripture:
3.4.1. Qur’an replaces the NT: Muhammad said, According to Deshmuch, the New
Testament and Jesus were from God, but his own teachings were better and replaced the New
Testament. However, claims of the New Testament regarding itself should be noticed. The
New Testament is a complete revelation of All God’s Will and is God’s final revelation to
man. The Old Testament in the new covenant predicted that another testament would replace
it (Jer. 31:31-34). This promise was fulfilled in the New Testament. However, the New
Testament does not, in turn, predict that it will be replaced by the teachings of Muhammad or
any other Divine revelation. Instead it teaches that it is itself the final revelation.29
The gospel provides what all men of all ages need in order to have a proper
relationship to God. Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19 says the gospel is to be preached to
26
Colin Chapman, Cross and Cresent,256-57.
27
Colin Chapman, Cross and Cresent,257.
28
Colin Chapman, Cross and Cresent,258-59.
29
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, The Gospel and Islam,108.
 10

everyone in the entire world. Romans 1:16 says gospel is God's power to save everyone who
believes, Jew or non-Jew. The gospel of Christ is sufficient to give all men eternal life (John
20:30,31; Acts 2:39; 10:34f). No man in any future age will need any further revelation than
the gospel. What more could Muhammad provide? In John 16:13 Jesus promised His apostles
would receive “all truth.” Then nothing is left for Muhammad to provide. Galatians 1:8-9
says that if any man preaches a different gospel, he stands under the curse of God. The gospel
of Jesus Christ is a perfect and complete revelation, given by God to guide all people until the
end of time. So God forbids anyone to teach a different religious doctrine. According to
Revelation 22:18-19, no one can change or add anything to the NT. Men have always wanted
to change God's will, hoping they could improve it or make it more suitable to themselves.
Men who attempt this have often claimed to be prophets from God, but God has always
warned his people to beware of false prophets and resist them (1 John 4:1; Matt. 7:15ff; 2
Cor. 11:13-15).30
3.4.2. Infallibility of Scripture- Jesus unquestionably fulfilled many Old Testament
prophecies, and He Himself accurately predicted future events. Sometimes Muslims take, as
Moucary says, prophecies that were actually fulfilled by Jesus and mistakenly claim that
those prophecies refer to Muhammad. Other times Muslims claim that the Bible once
contained other prophecies Muhammad fulfilled, but Jews and Christians changed their own
Scriptures to remove these prophecies and destroy the evidence. For example John 16:7
predicts the coming of the “Comforter.” Muslims claim this originally used the word
“praised,” which is the meaning of Muhammad.31 But to cover it up, the Scriptures were
changed. But there is no proof of these changes in the Bible. Muslims also argue that the
Bible was changed to make it appear that Jesus was the Son of God, that he died for the sins
of the people and arose from the dead, etc. but there is no proof of these changes. However,
there is much proof for the accuracy of the Bible. The Bible promises that God would
preserve His word forever. 1 Peter 1:23-25 says that God’s word is incorruptible seed that
will live and abide forever. Interestingly, the Qur’an contains similar promises that God
would preserve it from corruption (15:9). If Muslims believe God preserved the Qur’an
without corruption, why would He not do the same for the Bible, which they also agree is
from God?32

30
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, The Gospel and Islam, 109-10.
31
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah, 246.
32
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, The Gospel and Islam,111-113.
 11

The Bible repeatedly rebukes those who change its message. Deuteronomy 4:2;
Proverbs 3:5-6; Galatians 1:8-9; Revelation 22:18-19 and many other passages condemn
changing the Scriptures. If Jews and Christians changed their Scriptures, as Muslims claim
they did, then they knowingly and repeatedly violated these passages in their own Scriptures.
Instead, because of these warnings, both Jews and Christians have shown great care in
making copies of their Scriptures through the centuries. Work was checked repeatedly,
counting numbers of words and letters on each page, and proofreading each page to make
sure no changes occurred. So there is no point that they would deliberately change their
Scriptures just to disprove Islam. Even many ancient manuscripts verify the accuracy of the
Bible. Several copies of the New and Old Testaments date before the time of Muhammad.
Some translations of the Scriptures date long before the time of Muhammad. Scriptural
quotations exist in the writings of many men who lived long before Muhammad. If the claims
of Islam are true, then these Scriptures were changed after Muhammad came. So all these
Scriptures that predate Muhammad should read as Islam claims that they originally read
before they were “changed.” But instead, all these ancient sources read just like modern
copies of the Scriptures. There is no evidence of any kind that changes were made after
Muhammad lived.33
3.4.3. Unity of scripture- A proof of the Bible is the unity of its teaching. Though
some 40 different men penned its various books, yet these writings are completely
harmonious with no contradictions. There are no conflicts in history or geography between
the Old and New Testaments. Gospel writers often use Old Testament prophecy and teaching
to confirm that the New Testament fulfilled the Old. But just one man, Muhammad wrote the
Qur’an, yet it contradicts itself. Muhammad commanded his disciples to use violence against
those who reject Islam, yet he said compulsion should not be practiced in the name of
religion (Qur’an 9:1-15,29; cf. 2:256). He forbade the use of images, then under threat of
starvation he excused it, then later he again condemned it. Muhammad first taught men to
pray facing Jerusalem, and then later said they must pray facing Mecca. Muhammad
admitted having changed his doctrine. Muslim commentators themselves admit some 5-50
examples of such.34
Jesus’ teachings harmonize with all previous Divine revelation, never claiming that
previous Scriptures were corrupted. But Muhammad’s teaching conflicts with previous
revelation that he admits was from God. Jesus never changed His teaching and never

33
Emir Fethi Caner and Ergun Mehmet Caner, More Than a Prophet,79-81.
34
Ibrahimkhan O. Deshmuch, The Gospel and Islam, 115-17.
 12

contradicted Himself (1 Cor. 1:13), but Muhammad contradicted himself and changed his
teachings several times. Then it is inconceivable that Muhammad is a prophet as great as
Jesus.
3.5. The claim of Islam:
Muslims claim, as Moucary says, that Muhammad was as great a prophet as Moses
and Jesus, but he was the last of the prophets and his revelation replaced that of Jesus. Islam
claims that the exact words of the Qur’an were given to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel,
and therefore the Qur’an is verbally inspired. Islam claims Jesus was a great prophet, but not
Divine and not the unique Son of God.35 It admits Jesus did miracles, as Nazir-Ali mentions,
but denies He died as a substitutionary sacrifice to save people from their sins or that He
arose from the dead. But the gospel claims Jesus was more than a prophet: He was in fact the
Divine Son of God who died to save men from their sins and then arose from the dead. The
gospel of Jesus offers eyewitness testimony as proof, whereas Muhammad made the general
claim to as great as Jesus. The actual specific claims of Jesus were greater than any
Muhammad ever made.36 If Jesus’ claims are true, then Muhammad cannot be as great as
Jesus, because Jesus’ claims were clearly greater. On the other hand, if Jesus’ claims
are false, then Islam is still untrue, since it claimed that Jesus was a true prophet and a true
prophet would never make false claims. So, either way, all that is needed to prove Islam false
is to prove that Jesus really made the claims recorded in the Bible.37
3.6. The character of Jesus above Muhammad- The New Testament repeatedly
claims Jesus never sinned (Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22). Muslims generally admit Jesus never
sinned. The Qur’an nowhere claims that He sinned. So it can be agreed that Jesus was a
person of pure morals, wisdom, courage, love, and every other quality of goodness. Many
Muslims claim, as Moucary says, that Muhammad also never sinned. But by comparing his
life to Jesus’ life it can be clear that his character is not better that Jesus. First, Muhammad
used violence, including assassination, to defeat and convert those who opposed Islam. Some
claim that Muhammad meant to fight only against those who first attacked or mistreated
Muslims. But Jesus converted people by teaching, persuasion, and example. He never used
force, nor did He allow His disciples to use force, not even when His enemies attacked Him
(Matthew 26:47-54). So he was greater above Muhammad. Secondly, Jesus taught that a man
could have only one wife for life except in the case of fornication (Matt19:3-9; Rom7:2,3).

35
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah,197.
36
Michael Nazir-Ali, Jesus Christ the only way, 83.
37
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah,197-202
 13

Muhammad taught that men could have plural wives. He himself had 12 wives and 2
concubines at the time of his death. He revealed that no man could marry his own daughter-
in-law. Then a special revelation allowed him to take the wife of his adopted son. (Qur’an
33:37). Thirdly, In fact Muhammad admitted he needed forgiveness from God (Qur’an 9:43).
Yet nowhere in the New Testament is Jesus ever condemned by God. Even Muhammad
never claimed that Jesus sinned. So God never rebuked Jesus, yet even Muslims and
Muhammad himself admit God did censure Muhammad. And Christians and Muslims agree
Jesus was sinless, but Muhammad needed God’s forgiveness. So how can Muhammad be as
good as Jesus? Based on their character, Jesus is greater than Muhammad.38
3.7. Miracles- The Bible records many testimonies from people who saw the miracles
of Jesus. Even Jesus’ enemies and opponents during His lifetime admitted He did miracles.
The Qur’an confirms that Jesus performed signs (2:253).So, there can be no doubt that Jesus
did miracles. Muslims and Christians alike agreed that He performed miracles. But remember
that the purpose of His miracles was to confirm that His claims are true. But there is no
evidence that Muhammad Worked Miracles.39
There are three things discussed with regard to miracle. First, No eyewitnesses testify
that they saw Muhammad do miracles. Most learned Muslims make no serious claims that
there is eyewitness testimony that Muhammad did miracles. When people do make such
claims, they base them, not on eyewitness testimony, but on tradition or fables written years
after the alleged events. For example, one night Muhammad was allegedly carried to
Jerusalem and from there ascended into heaven to see wonderful visions. However, no one
saw it happen. His wife says he never left the bed. There is absolutely no eyewitness
testimony to confirm any miracles done by Muhammad.40
Second, Muslims commonly claim that the writing of the Qur’an is a miracle. it is
entirely possible for human wisdom to write such a book. Nevertheless, this is an invalid use
of miracles. As demonstrated by the miracles of Moses and Jesus, true miracles are events, in
addition to the delivery of a revelation, done for the purpose of confirming the revelation to
be from God. While one should examine the revelation itself for evidence, which is a separate
argument from miracles. When one claims that the revelation itself is a miracle to confirm the
revelation, he proves that he does not understand the purpose of miracles. Third, others claim
the rapid growth of Islam is a miracle. Islam is growing very rapidly, but much of it came by

38
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah, 205-09.
39
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah,228.
40
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah,229.
 14

military conquest. If that proves Islam is from God, then the conquests of Alexander the
Great, Napoleon, Hitler, and Nebuchadnezzar also should be considered. The military
conquests of these men do not confirm that their religious beliefs were revealed from God.
Islam claims to believe in Moses and the Old Testament and in Jesus and the gospel. There
are evidences that Moses and Jesus did miracles to confirm the Divine origin of their
revelations. Those evidences are so clear that even their enemies and Muslims admit the
miracles. If Muhammad’s teachings replace Moses’ and Jesus’ teachings, then Muhammad
must also have done miracles like Moses and Jesus did. But Muhammad’s evidence is
insignificant compared to that of Moses and Jesus. Therefore Muhammad can’t be a prophet
like Moses and Jesus.41
3. 8. Resurrection- Many eyewitnesses testify to Jesus’ resurrection. Brown says,
Muslims admit Jesus did other miracles, but deny his resurrection. Yet the evidence for the
resurrection is far more abundant and convincing than the evidence for any other miracle he
did. The evidence for the resurrection is recorded in many ancient copies of the Scriptures
written before Muhammad’s time. There is no evidence that these records were corrupted in
later years. Yet Muslims, who came some 600 years after Jesus, deny the eyewitness
testimony.42
Muslims do not even claim Muhammad arose from the dead. Muslims hope someday
they and Muhammad will be raised from the dead, but their hope is based on the teaching of a
man in his grave. Many Muslims visit Muhammad’s tomb in Medina. Muslims would
exceedingly love to have evidence that their prophet did miracles like the evidence Christians
have for the resurrection. But the evidence for Muhammad’s miracles is missing. The
Christian hope is based on the One who arose to prove that all believers will be raised.
Muslims try to discredit the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection, but that evidence is far more
conclusive than any evidence that Muhammad did any miracles. Then Muhammad can’t be a
prophet as great as Jesus?43
Conclusion:
Muslims make many claims, but there is no real proof that Islam is true. Anyone can
make claims. Proving them is another matter. Christians accept Jesus and His gospel, but
reject Muhammad and Islam, on the basis of proof. The evidences show that Jesus was
sinless but Muhammad committed sin. Jesus’ teachings agree with itself, but the teachings of

41
Chawkat Moucary, The Prophet and the Messiah,255-56.
42
Stuart Brown, The Nearest in Affection, 11
43
Stuart Brown, The Nearest in Affection, 12-13.
 15

Muhammad contradict themselves. Jesus’ teachings harmonize with, and his claims are
validated by, all divine revelation that went before him. He and his followers never question
previous revelation. Muhammad’s teachings are not substantiated by prior revelation but
contradict it, so Muslims repeatedly question prior revelations, while still claiming that those
revelations were from God. Jesus fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies, but Muslims
cannot prove Muhammad ever fulfilled any. Jesus performed miracles as attested by
eyewitnesses, but there is no eyewitness proof that Muhammad ever did any miracle. Jesus
arose from the dead as attested by witnesses, but Muslims do not even claim that Muhammad
arose. The evidences prove, not just that Muhammad was not a prophet like Jesus, but that in
fact Muhammad was not a true prophet of God at all. His teaching bears none of the proofs of
true prophetic teaching, but it does bear all the marks of being the work of a false prophet.
According to Philippians 2:9-11 Jesus has a name that is above every name. To Him every
knee will bow and every tongue confess. It follows that Jesus is greater than Muhammad and
someday every Muslim will confess it. Everyone should confess it now while they have the
opportunity to be saved.

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