Concept of God in Major Religion
By Dr Zakir Naik
Introduction
One of the distinguishing features of our civilization is the
presence of a large
number of religions and ethical systems. We often wonder about
the beliefs held
by these religions. Are they similar to or inimical to Islamic
beliefs? It will be my
endeavor in this article to shed some light on the beliefs of
major world religions
and compare them with Islamic beliefs.
Definition of Religion
Religion according to the Oxford dictionary means "belief in
a superhuman controlling power
especially in personal God or gods entitled to obedience and
worship".
The Universality of God
A common feature of all major religions is the belief in a
Universal God or Supreme Divine Authority
that is Omnipotent and Omniscient. Followers of all major
religions believe that the God they
worship is the same God for them as well as for others. The Holy
Qur’an exhorts us to have a
dialogue with the "people of the book", and at least
agree on some common terms about God.
Say: "O people of the Book! Come to common terms As between
us and you: That we
worship None but Allah; That we associate No partners with Him;
That we erect not, From
among ourselves, Lords and patrons Other than Allah." If
then they turn back, Say ye:
"Bear witness That we (at least) Are Muslims (bowing To
Allah’s will)."
[Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Imran (3:64)]
Division of World Religions:
The religions of the world can be broadly divided into Semitic
religions and Non-Semitic religions.
The Non-Semitic religions can be further subdivided into Aryan
religions and Non-Aryan religions.
a. Semitic religions
Semitic religion means the religion followed by the Semites who
are the descendants of Shem the son
of Prophet Noah (Pbuh) mentioned in the Bible, in the book of
Genesis chapter 5 to 11. Therefore
Semitic religions are the religions followed by the Jews, Arabs,
Pissyrians, Phoeniuans, etc. who
speak Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Akkadian, Phoenician etc. Major
Semitic religions are Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. All these religions believe in divine
guidance sent through prophets.
The non-Semitic religions are further subdivided into Aryans and
Non Aryans religions.
b. Aryan religions
Aryan religions are those religions followed by the Aryans, a
powerful group of Indo European
speaking people spread through Iran and Northern India in the
first half of the second Millennium.
BC (1500 to 2000 BC).
The Aryan religion is further divided into Vedic and non-vedic
religion.
The Vedic religion is given the misnomer of Hinduism or
Brahminism. The non-vedic religions are
Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism etc.
Zoroastrians is an Aryan prophetic religion which is non-vedic
and not associated with Hinduism.
c. Non-Aryan religions
The non-Aryan religions have diverse origins. Major non-Aryan
religions are Confucianism (of
Chinese origin), Taoism (of Japanese origin), and Shintoism.
Many of these non-Aryan religions do not have a concept of God.
They are better referred to as
ethical systems rather than as religions.
In this article I shall only deal with the concept of God in
major religions of
Aryans and religions of Semitic origin.
Most Authentic Definition of God in any religion:
The concept of God espoused by a religion cannot be judged by
merely observing the practice of its
followers. It is quite common for the followers of many religions
to be ignorant of the concept of
God in their scriptures.
It is therefore better to analyze the concept of God in any
religion by referring to its Holy Scriptures.
Let us understand the concept of God in major world religions by
analysing what their scriptures
have to say about it:
Concept of God in Hinduism
The most popular amongst the Aryan religions is Hinduism
Common Concept of God in Hinduism:
Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion.
Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this,
by professing belief in a multitude of Gods. Some Hindus actually
believe in the existence of
thirty-three crore i.e. 330 million Gods. However learned Hindus
who are well versed with their
scriptures insist that a Hindu should believe in and worship only
one God.
The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception
of God is the common Hindus’
belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers
everything, living and non-living to be
divine and sacred. The Hindus therefore consider the trees, the
Sun, the moon, the animals and even
the human beings as manifestations of God. However this belief is
not corroborated by the vedic
scriptures.
Islam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his
surroundings as examples of divine
creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore
believe that everything is Gods’ i.e. God with
an apostrophe ‘s’. In other words we believe that
everything belongs to God. The trees, the Sun ,
the Moon and everything in this Universe belong to God.
Thus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim
beliefs is difference of the apostrophe
‘s’. The Hindus says everything is God. The Muslim says
everything is Gods’, i.e. God with an
apostrophe ‘s’.
The Holy Qur’an says : "Come to common terms as between
us and you".
The first common term is "that we worship none but
Allah".
So let us try and find commonality by analyzing both Hindu and
Islamic scriptures.
Let us try and find commonality by analyzing both Hindi and
Islamic Scriptures.
Bhagwad Geeta
The most popular among all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagwad
Geeta.
Consider the following verse from the Geeta:
"Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material
desires surrender unto demigods
and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship
according to their own natures."
[Bhagwad Geeta chapter 7 verse 20 (B.G. 7:20)]
The Geeta is referring to people who are materialistic and
therefore worship demigods i.e. besides
the True God.
Upanishads:
The Upanishads are also considered sacred scriptures by the
Hindus.
Consider the following verses from the Upanishads:
i) "Ekam evaditiyam" (He is One only without a second)
[Chandogya Upanishad Prapathaka (chapter) 6, Khanda (section) 2,
Shloka (verse) 1]
"I sad eva, saumya, idam agra asid ekam evaditiyam, tadd
haika ahuh, asad evedam agra
asid ekam evadvitiyam, tasmad asatah saj jayata"
(In the beginning, my dear, this was Being alone, one only
without a second. Some people
say in the beginning this was non-being alone, one only; without
a second. From that
non-being, being was produced)
[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan pg 447 and 448]
[Sacred books of the East volume 1 the Upanishads part I page 93]
Are these beliefs not similar to the following verse of the Holy
Qur’an?
"Say He is Allah One and only"[Surah Ikhlas chapter 112
verse 1]
ii) Consider again, the following verses from the Upanishads:
"Nacasya kasuj janita na cadhipah." (Of Him there are
neither parents nor lord)
[Svetasavatara Upanishad Adhyaya (chapter) 6, Shloka (verse) 9]
"na tasya kascit patir astiloke, na cesita naiva ca
tasyalingam, na karanam
karanadhipadhipo na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."
(Of Him there is no master in the world, no ruler, nor is there
any mark of Him. He is the
cause, the lord of the lords of the sense organs; of Him there is
neither progenitor nor
lord.)
[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan pg 745]
[Sacred Books of the East volume 15, the Upanishads part II page
263.]
The Holy Qur’an contains a similar message in the following
verse of Surah Ikhlas:
"He begets not, nor is he begotten." [Holy Qur’an
, 112 : 3]
iii) Consider the following verses from the Upanishads :
"Na tasya pratima asti"
(There is no likeness of Him.)
[Svetasvatara Upanishad chapter 4 verse 19]
"Nainam urdhvam na tiryancam na madhye na parijagrabhat na
tasy pratime asti yasya
nama mahad yasah."
(There is no likeness of Him whose name is great glory).
[The principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan pg 736 & 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, the Upanishad part II page
no 253]
Compare the above verses with the following verses of the Holy
Qur’an
"And there is none like unto Him." [Holy Qur’an ,
112:4]
"There is nothing whatever like unto Him." [Holy Qur’an
,42:11]
iv) The following verses from the Upanishad allude to the
inability of Man to imagine God in a
particular form :
[Svetasvatara Upanishad Adhyaya (chapter) 4 Shloka (verse) 20]
"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas
canainam. Hrda hrdistham
manasa ya enam, evam vidur amrtas te bhavanti".
(His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye. Those
who through heart and
mind know Him as abiding in the heart become immortal).
[The principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan pg 737]
[and in Sacred Books of the East volume 15, the Upanishad part II
page no 253]
The Holy Qur’an refers to this aspect in the following verse
"No vision can grasp Him But His grasp is over All vision:
He is Above all comprehension,
Yet is acquainted with all things". [Holy Qur’an 6:103]
The Vedas
Vedas’ are considered the most sacred amongst all the Hindu
scriptures. There are four main vedas.
Rig Ved, Yajur Ved, Sam Ved and Atharwa Ved.
1. Yajur Ved
i) Consider the following verses from the Yajur ved :
"na tasya pratima asti" (There is no image of Him)
[Yajurved 32 : 3]
ii) It further says, "as He is unborn, He deserves our
worship."
"There is no image of Him whose glory verily is great. He
sustains within Himself all luminous objects
like the Sun etc. May He not harm me, this is my prayer. As He is
unborn, He deserves our
worship" [The Yajurveda by Devi Chand M. A. pg 377]
iii) He is bodyless and pure, is mentioned in Yajurved (40 : 8:
He hath attained unto the Bright, Bodiless, Woundless, Sinewless,
the pure which evil hath
not pierced. Far-sighted, wise, encompassing, he self-existent
hath prescribed aims, as
propriety demands, unto the Everlasting Years"[Yajurved 40 :
8]
[Yajurveda samhita by Ralph I. H. Griffith pg 538]
iv) It is also mentioned in the Yajur Veda:
"Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste".
They enter darkness, those who worship natural things, for
example air, water, fire etc. They sink
deeper in darkness those who worship Sambhuti. (Sambhuti means
created things, for example
table, chair, idol etc.)
"Deep into shade of blinding gloom fall Asambhuti’s
worshippers. They sink to darkness
deeper yet who on Sambhuti are intent." [Yajurved 40 : 9]
[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538]
v) The Yajur Veda also mentions a prayer stating, lead us to the
good path and remove the sin that
makes us stray and wander:
"By goodly path lead us to riches, Agni, thou God who
knowest all our works and wisdom.
Remove the sin that makes us stray and wander: most ample
adoration will we bring thee."
[Yajurveda chapter 40 verse 16]
[The Yajurveda Samhiti by Ralph T. H. Griffith pg 541]
A similar prayer is given in Surah Fatiha:
"Show us the straight way The way of those on whom Thou hast
bestowed Thy Grace,
Those whose (portion) Is not wrath, And who go not astray".
[The Holy Qur’an chapter 1
verse 6 & 7]
2. Atharva ved
Consider the following verses from Atharva Ved :-
i) "Dev maha osi" (God is verily great)
[Atharvaveda book 20 hymn (chapter) 58 verse 3]
"Verily, Surya, thou art great; truly, aditya, thou art
great.
As thou art great indeed thy greatness is admire: yea, verily,
great art thou, O God".
(Atharveda Samhiti vol 2 William Dmight Whitney pg 910)
A similar message is given in Qur’an in Surah Rad :
"He is the Great, the most High". [The Holy Qur’an
13 :9]
3. Rig Ved
i) The oldest of all is the Vedas is Rig Veda. It is also the one
considered most sacred by the Hindus.
The Rig Ved states that Sages (learned Priests) call one God by
many names
"They have styled (Him, God or the sun) indra (the
resplendent) mitra (the surveyor),
varuna (the venerable), agni (the adorable), and he is the
celestial, well-winged garutmat
(the great), for learned priests call one by many names as they
speak of the adorable as
yama (ordainer) and matarisvan (cosmic breath)." [Rigveda
Book no 1, Hymn no 164 verse
46, (R.V. 1:164:46)]
ii) The Rigveda gives no less than 33 different attributes to
Almighty God, several of these are
mentioned in Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1 Amongst the various attributes
given in Rigveda one of the
beautiful attributes for Almighty God is ‘Brahma’.
‘Brahma’ means ‘The Creator’. If you
translate
this word into Arabic it means ‘Khaliq’. Muslims can
have no objection if Almighty God is referred
to as ‘Khaliq’ or ‘Creator’ or ‘Brahma’.
However Muslims definitely do not subscribe to the view
that ‘Brahma’ is Almighty God who has 4 heads
(nauzubillah).
Describing Almighty God in anthropomorphic terms also goes
against the following verse of
Yajurveda: "Na tasya Pratima asti’ (There is no image
of Him) [Yajur Ved 32 : 3 ]
Another beautiful attribute mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn
1 verse 3 (R.V. 2:1:3) is Vishnu.
‘Vishnu’ means ‘The Sustainer’. If you
translate into Arabic it means ‘Rabb’. Again, Muslims
can
have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as ‘Rabb’
or ‘Sustainer’ or ‘Vishnu’ . But the
popular image of Vishnu among Hindus is that of a God who has 4
arms, with one of the right arms
holding the ‘Chakra’ ie a discus and one of the left
arms holding a ‘conch shell’, riding a bird or
reclining on a snake couch. Muslims can never accept any image of
God. As mentioned earlier this
also goes against Yajurveda chatper 40 verse 8.
iii) Consider the following verses from the Rig Ved:
"Ma chidanyadvi shansata"
"O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the divine one.
Let no grief perturb you.
Praise Him alone, the radiant, the showerer of benefits. During
the course of
self-realization, go on repeatedly uttering hymns in His
honour". [Rigveda Book 8 hymn 1
verse 1]
[Rigveda samhiti vol ix, pg 1 and 2 by swami Satyaprakash
Sarasvati and satyakam Vidhya Lankar]
iv) Verily great is the glory of the divine creator
"The wise yogis concentrate their minds; and concentrate
their thought as well in the
Supreme Reality, which is Omnipresent, Great and Omniscient. He
alone, knowing their
functions, assigns to the sense organs their respective tasks.
Verily, great is the glory of to
Divine Creator".
[Rigveda book 5 ‘hymn 81 verse 1 (R.V. 5:81)]
[Rigveda Samhiti volume 6 page 1802 and 1803 by Swami
SatyaPrakash Saraswati and Satyakam
Vidhyalanka]
Compare this with the following verse of Surah Fateha :
"Praise be to Allah the Cherisher and Sustainer of the
Worlds". [Holy Qur’an 1 : 2]
v) Consider the following verses from the Rig Ved
"The bounteous giver" [Rigveda book 3 Hymn 34 verse 1]
[(Hymns of Rigveda volume 2 page 337 by Raplh T. H. Griffith]
Is this not similar to the Qur’anic description of Allah’s
mercy?
"Most Gracious, Most Merciful". [Holy Qur’an 1:3]
vi) It is mentioned in Rig Ved book VI Hymn 45 verse 16
"Ya eka ittamushtuhi"
"Praise Him Who is the matchless and alone."
(Hymns of Rigveda by Ralph T. H. Griffith pg 648)
Brahma Sutra of Hindu Vedanta:
The Brahma Sutra of Hindu Vedanta is "Ekam Brahm, dvitiya
naste nen na naste kinchan"
"Bhagwan ek he hai dusara nahi hai, nahi hai, nahi hai zara
bhi nahi hai."
(There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all,
not in the least bit).
Therefore only by referring to the Hindu scriptures can one
understand the correct concept of God in
Hinduism.
Concept of God in Sikhism
Sikhism is a non-Vedic, Aryan and non-Semitic religion. Though
not a major religion of the world, it
is a branch or offshoot of Hinduism founded by Guru Nanak at the
end of the 15th Century. It
originated in the Area of Pakistan and North West India called
Punjab meaning the land of the 5
rivers. Guru Nanak was born in a Kshatriya (warrior caste) Hindu
family but was very
strongly influenced by Islam and Muslims.
Definition of Sikh and Sikhism
Sikh is derived from the word ‘Sisya’ meaning disciple
or follower. Sikhism is a religion of 10 Gurus,
the first Guru being Guru Nanak and the 10th and the last being
Guru Gobind Singh. The sacred
book of Sikhism is Sri Guru Granth also called Adi Granth Sahib.
THE FIVE - ‘K’S
Every Sikh is supposed to keep the five ‘K’s which also
serve as his identity.
(i) Kesh - uncut hair, which all the Gurus kept
(ii) Kangha - comb; used to keep the hair clean.
(iii) Kada - metal or steel bangle; for strength and
self-restraint
(iv) Kirpan - dagger; for self defence
(v) Kaccha - special knee length underwear or underdraw for
agility
MULMANTRA : The Fundamental Creed of Sikhism
The best definition that any Sikh can give regarding concept of
God in Sikhism is the "Mul Mantra" -
the fundamental creed of Sikhism, which occurs at the beginning
of Guru Granth Sahib. It is
mentioned in Sri Guru Granth Sahib volume I Japuji, the first
verse "There exists but one God, who
is called the true the Creator, free from fear and hate, immortal
not begotten, self-existent, Great and
compassionate".
Sikhism enjoins on its followers strict monotheism. It believes
in only One Supreme God who is in
the unmanifest form called ‘ek omkara’.
In the manifest form He is called Omkara and has several
attributes such as:
* Kartar - The Creator
* Sahib - The Lord Akal - The Eternal
* Sattanama - The Holy name
* Parvardigar - The Cherisher
* Rahim - The Merciful
* Karim - The Benevolent
He is also called ‘Wahe Guru’ - the One true God.
Besides Sikhism being strictly monotheistic, it does not believe
in Avataravada - the doctrine of
incarnation. Almighty God does not incarnate Himself in what is
known as Avatara. Sikhism is also
strongly against idol worship.
Guru Nanak Influenced by Kabir
Guru Nanak was influenced by the sayings of Sant Kabir so much
that several chapters of Shri Guru
Nanak Sahib contain couplets of Sant Kabir.
One of the famous couplets of Sant Kabir is
"Dukh mein Sumirana sabh karein
Sukh mein karein na koya
Jo sukh mein sumirana karein
To dukh kaye hoye"
(Everyone remembers God during trouble but no one remembers Him
during peace and
happiness. The one who remembers God during peace and happiness,
why should he have
trouble?).
Compare this with the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:
"When some trouble toucheth man, He crieth unto his Lord,
Turning to Him in repentance:
But when He bestoweth A favour upon him As from Himself, (man)
Doth forget what he
cried And prayed for before, And he doth set up Rivals unto
Allah" [Holy Qur’an 39:8]
Concept of God in Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is an ancient Aryan religion which originated in
Persia more than 2500 years ago.
Though it has relatively few adherents, less than one hundred and
thirty thousand in the whole world,
it is one of the oldest religions. The Iranian Prophet Zoroaster
was the founder of Zoroastrianism
(also commonly known as Parsiism). The sacred scripture of the
Parsis is the Dasatir and Avesta.
God in Zoroastrian religion is known as ‘Ahura Mazda’
‘Ahura’ means ‘the Lord’ and ‘Mazda’
means ‘the Wise hence ‘Ahura Mazda’ means ‘the
Wise Lord’ or ‘the Wise God’. Ahura Mazda
stands for a strict form of Monotheistic God.
Qualities of God According to Dasatir
According to Dasatir, Ahura Mazda has the following qualities :
(i) He is One.
(ii) Nothing resembles Him.
(iii) He is without an origin or end.
(iv) He has no father or mother, wife or son.
(v) Without a body or form.
(vi) Neither the eye can behold Him, nor the power of thinking
can conceive him.
(vii) He is above all that you can imagine of.
(viii) He is nearer to you than your own self.
Qualities of God according to Avesta
According to Avesta, the Gathas and the Yasna give the various
characteristics to Ahura Mazda
such as
(i) Creator -Yasna chapter 31 verse 7 & 11 (Yasna 31:7 &
11)
Yasna chapter 44 verse 7 (Yasna 44:7)
Yasna chapter 50 verse 11 (Yasna 50:11)
Yasna chapter 51 verse 7 (Yasna 51:7)
(ii) Most Mighty - the Greatest
Yasna chapter 33 verse 11 (Yasna 33:11)
Yasna chapter 45 verse 6 (Yasna 45:6)
(iii) Beneficent - ‘Hudai’.
Yasna chapter 33 verse 11 (Yasna 33:11)
Yasna chapter 48 verse 3 (Yasna 48:3)
(iv) Bountiful - ‘Spenta’;
Yasna chapter 43 verse 4,5,7,9,11,13,15)
Yasna chapter 44 verse 2 (Yasna 44:2)
Yasna chapter 45 verse 5 (Yasna 45:5)
Yasna chapter 46 verse 9 (Yasna 46:9)
Yasna chapter 48 verse 3 (Yasna 48:3)
Concept of God in Judaism
Judaism is one of the major Semitic religions. Its followers are
known as Jews and they
believe in the prophetic mission of Prophet Moses (Pbuh).
(i) The following verse from Deuteronomy contains an exhortation
from Moses (Pbuh) "Shama
Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad" It is a Hebrew
quotation which means:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" [Deut
6:4]
(ii) Consider the following verses from the Book of Isaiah:
"I, even I, am the Lord; and beside
me there is no saviour." [Isaiah 43:11]
(iii) "I am lord, and there is none else There is no God
besides me." [Isaiah 45: 5]
(iv) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there
is none like me." [Isaiah 46:9]
(v) Judaism condemns idol worship in the following verses:
"Thou shalt have no other gods
before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that
is in the water under the
earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor see them; for
I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God" [Exodus 20:3-5]
(vi) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deutoronomy:
Thou shalt have none other gods
before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any
likeness of anything that is
in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water beneath the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I
the Lord thy God am a
jealous God" [Deut 5:7-9]
Concept of God in Christianity
Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly
two billion adherents all over the world.
Christianity owes it's name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him).
Jesus (Pbuh) is also a revered figure in
Islam.
Islam is the only non-Christian faith that prescribes faith in
Jesus (Pbuh): Before we discuss the
concept of God in Christianity let us examine the position of
Jesus (Pbuh) in Islam:
(i) Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an
article of faith to believe in Jesus (Pbuh).
No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (Pbuh).
(ii) We believe that he was one of the mightiest Messengers of
Allah (SWT).
(iii) We believe that he was born miraculously without any male
intervention, which many modern
day Christians do not believe.
(iv) We believe that He gave life to the dead with God's
permission.
(v) We believe that He healed those born blind, and the lepers
with God's permission.
One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect
Jesus (Pbuh), where exactly is the
parting of ways? The major difference between Islam and
Christianity is the Christians' insistence on
the supposed divinity of Christ. A study of the Christian
scriptures reveals that Jesus (Pbuh) never
claimed divinity. In fact there is not a single unequivocal
statement in the entire Bible where Jesus
(Pbuh) himself says, "I am God" or where he says,
"worship me". In fact the Bible contains
statements attributed to Jesus (Pbuh) in which he preached quite
the contrary. Consider the following
statements in the Bible, attributed to Jesus Christ (Pbuh):
"My Father is Greater than I" (John 14:28)
"My Father is greater than all" (John 10:29)
"I cast out devils by the spirit of God." (Mathew
12:28)
"with the finger of God cast out devils." (Luke 11:20)
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge; and
my judgement is just; because I
seek not my own will, but the will of the Father, which hath sent
me." (John 5:30)
The mission of Jesus Christ (Pbuh) - he came to fulfill the Law:
Jesus (Pbuh) never claimed divinity
for himself. He clearly announced the nature of his mission.
Jesus (Pbuh) was sent by God to confirm
the previous Judaic law. This is clearly evident in the following
statements attributed to Jesus (Pbuh)
in the Gospel of Mathew:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
Prophets; I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one little shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men
so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven; but
whosoever shall do and teach
them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
"For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom
of Heaven." (Mathew
5:17-20)
God sent Jesus (Pbuh): The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of
Jesus' mission in the following
verses: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's
which has sent me." (John
14:24) "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee
the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou has sent." (John 17:3)
Jesus refuted even a remote suggestion of his divinity. Consider
the following incident mentioned in
the Bible:
"And, behold, one came and said unto him, "Good master,
what good thing shall I do, that I
may have eternal life?" And he said unto him, "Why
callest thou me good? There is none
good but one, that is, God; but if thou wilt enter into life,
keep the commandments."
(Mathew 19:16-17)
The above statements from the Bible refute the Christian dogma of
divinity of Jesus and of salvation
through the sacrifice of Jesus (Pbuh). Jesus (Pbuh) exhorts
keeping the commandments as the means
to achieve salvation.
Jesus (Pbuh) of Nazareth - a man approved of by God:
The following statement from the Bible supports the Islamic
belief that Jesus (Pbuh) was a prophet of
God. .
"Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, A
man approved of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in
the midst of you, as ye
yourselves also know." (Acts 2:22)
The First Commandment is that God is One:
The Bible does not support the Christian belief in trinity at
all. One of the scribes once asked Jesus
(Pbuh) as to which was the first commandment of all, to which
Jesus (Pbuh) merely repeated what
Moses (Pbuh) had said, namely:
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhat".
This is a Hebrew quotation, which means:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." (Mark
12:29)