Perfect_Order wrote:No response?
Sorry, hadn't seen this..
Horta, BeyondQabil, there is something seriously wrong with Christianity/Judaism and how they depict the chosen men of Allah. To us, the Prophets are esteemed individuals, of the utmost character and morals, they are role models for humanity and examples to follow. We reject this depiction of Solomon coming to a women that is not his wife, or Sheba, or Noah having incestual relations with his daughters. Wa ya Auudibillah. Like I have said, Muslims completely reject anything that is contrary to Islam. Nevertheless, it is amazing that Muhaammadim, is mention in there. And the approximate translation is "all together lovely", which is close to the definition of Muhammad "One who is Praised".
Nevertheless, we do not base the authenticity of the Prophet Muhammad scw on verses taken from the bible. So, really it is a side issue, almost irrelevant to Islamic/Christian discourse. Instead, what the most stickiest issue for Muslims/Christians/Jews is the divinity of Jesus Christ/Messiah. Two out of the three Abarahamic beliefs do not have a theological compatibility with the other. This is because, two out of the three cannot reconcile the Lord Creator having a son , daughter, wife, father, mother, etc. It is also interesting to note, that the divinity of Jesus has not only been a controversial issue for two of the three religions but it has also been controversial within the christians themselves. Which had to be voted on in the Council of Nicea. Which led to the persecution of Christians that did not believe in the divinity of Jesus as the Son of God. In fact, it has been proven, by countless scholars and historians, that the hellonistic view of Jesus is almost identical to the pagan religions of the time.
First of all, i wholeheartedly agree with you that the name "Muhammad" meaning one who is praised, has similarity to Muhaamadim (plural,) which means "all together lovely." This to me, is not a sign of prophecy, but of linguistic similarities between Ancient Hebrew and Ancient Arabic. And when you take into consideration the fact that the ancient alphabet didn't have vowels, then the similarity becomes even more. But to use this and say that it is the name of the prophet, is to stretch things too far. For that is not the only place where the words have been used. And if we were consistent, we would evaluate the usage of this word wherever it appeared. Fors example, the first word in the 16the verse of Ezekiel 25 (Translated as Son of Man,) reads "bn adm." Who in his right sense can't see that this has got plenty of similarities to Hebrew?
But Zaik - who was instrumental in spreading this teaching, would never touch on that.
Now the issue of the "Sinlessness of the Prophets." The difference between Judaism/Christianity and Islam, is that while Muslim scholars try to sugarcoat things Biblical teaching doesn't. Sin is called sin. Abraham slept with Hagar to give birth to Ishmael, when Hagar was NOT his wife. The consequences are being felt to this day. But this will not prevent Jews calling themselves Children of Abraham or Christians praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And yet, Jacob - that very name, is meant to deceiver, and had to be changed to Israel. Solomon Married 700 wives and had 300 concubines. You'll find many Muslim scholars claiming that it is wrong to say that Solomon had a weakness when it comes to women, but wouldn't see the problem with having four wives.
The reason why (I THINK) that muslim scholars have tried to malign the bible and accusing Christians and Jews of editing the Bible, is simply because they are afraid that Many muslims would be tempted to read it and be blown away by what they read.
The divinity of Jesus is plain to anyone who Studies the Bible with more than a casual attitude. There are cults which deny the divinity of Jesus, and these cults include the Jehovah Witness. But a plain reading of the Bible will not only prove the Sonship of Christ, but also the divinity of the Holy Spirit and that of Jesus Christ. If you take your time and read the Bible (throw away the goggles given to you by scholars,) you'll see that it's pretty plain.